What questions would you like Layla to ask Gration and Power?
Dear STAND,
I just received an invitation to the White House - on behalf of all of STAND - to discuss the administration’s plan for Sudan with Scott Gration, Special Envoy to Sudan, and Samantha Power, National Security Council’s Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs. Our conversation, which will also include Save Darfur’s Executive Director Jerry Fowler, will be streamed live so you can watch.
This is our chance to ask tough questions about the administration’s new Sudan policy. I need to hear from you – what questions should I ask?
Please vote on the top 5 questions you want me to ask by selecting 5 below.
Then tune in right here on Tuesday, November 10th at 3 pm to watch me ask your questions live.
Appreciatively,
Layla Amjadi
Student Director
STAND
Harvard University ‘10
peace is our highest priority
One of the worst things which can happen in the world would be for civil war to break out in Sudan over secession. I fear that we Darfur activists could miss the forest for the trees - work on every nuanced issue but ignore the need to preserve and build peace. We need a world-wide effort with all the African leaders on board as well as non-Africans to make sure that peace, fragile as it is at the moment, does not evaporate completely.
War in the South of Sudan will make efforts to help Darfurians return home a distant memory, could re-ignite the worst of the fighting in Congo, destabilize Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia and Rwanda -- and worse.
Justice matters, resettlement is a crying need, UNAMID needs equipment... but preventing war may be our greatest responsibility over the next few months. What WE can do about it isn't easy to figure out, but I hope we'll try.
Judith Baker, Boston
Please ask....
Please ask them:
- Why haven't we done more to stop the genocide? Why haven't we done whatever it takes?
- Why isn't this a top priority? It's genocide! It's mass murder of an ethnic group!
- Why are we appeasing instead of standing up for the victims?
- Why can't the world's richest country find the money for 24 helicopters?
I saw Scott Graton speak in NY a few weeks ago. Waited around afterwards to ask him about the helicopters. His reply was unbelievable - he said we needed equipment with all the demands in Iraq and Afghanistan. He smiled as he said it. It was more like a smirk. Then his handler hustled him away.
He made me ashamed to be American. Listening to him brought echoes of Chamberlain's 'Peace In Our Time'.
I am so very disappointed in Obama (whom I volunteered for). It's unbelievable that he's allowed genocide to continue. This is the baseline of defining a nation's humanity, our righteousness.
I can't afford to attend this weekend's conference. But please, please - ask them the real, unvarnished questions.
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