In a chillingly reprehensible op-ed for the New York Times on Feb. 18, Lara Dadkhah, an unidentified defense analyst, argued that the United States and NATO are placing an “overemphasis on civilian protection” in Afghanistan. She called for the use of more airpower to protect U.S. troops and defeat the Taliban.
Trivia: When was the last time Somalia had a stable, permanent government? What foreign powers sought influence in Somalia and Afghanistan in the past?
Answers and analysis to last week’s trivia and discussion. To receive weekly education updates which include trivia, a discussion guide, and news briefs, email education@standnow.org.
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of the key rebel groups in Darfur, signed a ceasefire with Khartoum this past Saturday. In the spring of 2008, JEM launched an attack, aiming to reach Khartoum, but managed to reach nearby Omdurman. The signing of this agreement was overseen by neighboring Chad, which is widely believed to have been supporting JEM rebels in their efforts against the Sudanese government in a proxy war which the two countries recently declared over.
Trivia: What human rights violations do the Rohingya face at the hands of the Burmese regime? What violations do the Karen face?
Answer: For the Rohingya, your answer could have included the denial of citizenship, arbitrary taxation, land confiscation, forced eviction, and forced labor. For the Karen, your answer could have included forced labor, forced relocation, extrajudicial killings, and rape at the hands of Burmese soldiers
Earlier this month, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) determined that the standards used to evaluate the ICC Prosecutor’s genocide charge against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in the Pre-Trial Chamber were insufficient. According to the Appeals Chamber, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber erred in “…requiring that the existence of genocidal intent must be the
In this week’s issue: Seven UNAMID police officers were injured in an ambush; over 900 Karen have returned to Burma from a refugee camp on the border of Thailand; Women were executed and abducted in an FDLR attack in Congo
Weekly News Brief, February 12 through 19, compiled by Joshua Kennedy at GI-Net and the STAND E-team. Email education@standnow.org to subscribe to weekly mailings with news briefs, trivia, and a discussion guide.
Areas of Concern
Earlier this week, a group of grassroots Sudan activists released a letter to President Obama, calling on the president to remove Maj. Gen. Scott Gration from his responsibilities as the special envoy to Sudan. STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network continue to press the Obama administration to pressure the Sudanese government to institute electoral and security reforms prior to national elections this April. While we are not calling for Gen.
Refugees who flee persecution and violence at the hands of the Burmese military regime must cope with the living conditions in refugee camps in neighboring countries such as Thailand or Bangladesh as well as unstable legal status within those countries. Over 700,000 refugees have fled Burma.
