The BBC’s top page today showcases an interview in which President Bush defends his decision not to go into Darfur.
He called it a “seminal decision” not to intervene with force, taken partly out of the desire not to send US troops into another Muslim country.
Other than sounding more and more like a moderate with each passing day, President Bush added that he believes aid money has a strong impact on the region.
“We have people who are suffering from disease and hunger and hopelessness. The only way a radical can recruit is to find somebody who’s hopeless,” he said.
In his defense, it’s a hard decision to go in militarily for a variety of reasons. First, they usually believe a lot more in the fight than we do. And because it’s not a situation that can be fixed militarily, it’s hard to send in troops who don’t know how to solve their problems. It’s not a military that’s going to solve Darfur’s problems, it’s going to be Darfur. The Europeans and Canadians have all failed at this throughout history. Why would we be any different?And then there’s Black Hawk Down. But President Bush decided not to answer with those remarks.
“I just happen to believe their government could do more to enhance a free society in their region,” he said.
