Morning brief, April 14

Ethan Zuckerman is right. I shouldn't have to apologize/explain when I don't lead with Iran or Iraq. 

Today Michael Kinsley asks Where Do We Meddle Next?. Hmmm…

Sudan & Darfur

An activist who is trying to rally the world to intervene said yesterday, "The world needs to act. We really can't afford to wait." OK, it was actually Condi who said it after a meeting with the Canadian Foreign Minister who said "I would agree that blue helmets (U.N. peacekeepers) are the solution but I am not sure that … North American or European soldiers should be wearing those helmets." Condi seems to agree.

The U.S. position is that the African Union troops in Darfur now are OK but that they really stink and we need to hand the operation over to UN blue helmets. 

A NYT editorial yesterday said: "The Bush administration, to its credit, has finally stopped dragging its feet and is now trying to push the United Nations in the right direction. But the diplomats are moving too slow."

If something about Christopher Preble's argument against NATO intervention in Darfur doesn't sit well with you, then we're on the same page:

Since the slaughter in Darfur does not threaten Western citizens, the solution to halting the genocide there must come from Africa, with the world's help, not the other way around….Given the many urgent demands on American and European troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, the United States and its allies should do nothing to discourage Sudan's neighbors from taking the initiative; unfortunately, that is exactly what NATO involvement would do.

Complicating the mess: The violence has spread to Chad, where Sudanese-backed rebels reached the capital of N'Djamena, where Chadian President Idriss Deby was holed up. The rebels have promised to oust Deby before May elections. More on the rebels here. How did Chad enter the picture? Long story short:

The Zagawa tribe, the tribe to which Chad's President Deby belongs, was one of the three main tribes involved in the fighting against the Sudanese Government in the early days of the Darfur conflict.

Now the Sudanese has started backing the anti-government rebels in Chad in retaliation. At best, they say that since coming to power in 1990 President Deby has turned a blind eye to anti-Sudan movements in Chad, at worst he supported them and fuelled the conflict.

Iraq

Zawahiri to Zarqawi: Keep up the good work. Two more retired generals call for Rummy's resignation, and the The White House defends. Victor David Hanson on the "dead end" Iraq debates we're having:

Imagine that, as we crossed the Rhine, retired World War II officers were still harping, in March, 1945, about who was responsible months during Operation Cobra for the accidental B-17 bombing, killing, and wounding of hundreds of American soldiers and the death of Lt. Gen. Leslie McNair; or, in the midst of Matthew Ridgeway's Korean counteroffensives, we were still bickering over MacArthur's disastrous intelligence lapses about Chinese intervention that caused thousands of casualties. 

Elsewhere 

The LAT's awesome reporting on Afghanistan continues, to Musharraf's dismay, I assume. "Computer devices sold at an Afghan bazaar appear to hold data showing how insurgents use Pakistan as a base for cross-border strikes." 

ElBaradei's is unlikely to persuade Iran to stop enriching uranium, the Telegraph says. The NYT looks at the trip as well….Egypt has its 4th case of bird flu (worry)….Water wars in Somalia…. Karachi shuts down for funerals of those killed in the suicide blast earlier this week, Army deployed to maintain order…Taiwan's opposition leader is visiting China.

I'll be sure to look at the Weekly Standard's Iran package later in the day.