The White House's Un-Statement on Sudan

by Michelle . · 2010-04-21 09:29:00 UTC
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Politics often seems to be more the art of pleasing everyone and no one at once, than it does the "art of the possible." But as the White House's pre-results statement on elections in Sudan makes painfully clear, the art of snaking around controversial issues and opposing opinion ultimately gets you nowhere.

The statement basically says a lot of nothing. Mark at UN Dispatch put it perfectly: "The statement seems to show that the White House is trying to accommodate the competing visions for Sudan policy that have been duking it out in the inter-agency process. But by embracing two messages that contradict each other, what we end up with is incoherence."

The main event, however, will be the international community's response to the announcement of results, whenever that happens. But the While House statement yesterday coupled with the State Department's reaction on Monday seem to indicate an eagerness to be done with elections. The elections seem like just a side show that everyone is eager to move past, and once the dust settles, everything will resume as before. Maybe not exactly as before, but the dynamics at the top echelons of political power will emerge relatively unscathed, at least in the near term.

Many observers had hoped for stronger international condemnation of electoral fraud and voter intimidation, but tolerance for such transgressions seems rather high. The unfortunate (and rather real politik) question that must be asked, however, is: What's the alternative?

Photo credit: BlankBlankBlank

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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