Darfur Makes Sudan's Omar al-Bashir Barack Obama's Biggest African Foe

{
  "authors": [],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "North Africa",
    "Sudan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Darfur Makes Sudan's Omar al-Bashir Barack Obama's Biggest African Foe

Darfur is being pushed perilously close to the edge by the Sudanese government. President Obama's biggest test in Africa will not be pirates, but Omar al-Bashir, the first sitting president with a warrant for his arrest.

Published on May 26, 2009

Source: U.S. News & World Report

Darfur Makes Sudan's Omar al-Bashir Barack Obama'sPresidents don't get to choose their first foreign policy crisis. It usually chooses them. For President Clinton, it was the killing of 18 U.S. soldiers in Mogadishu. For President Bush, it came when a U.S. EP-3 military plane collided with a Chinese fighter pilot, forcing the American crew to land on the Chinese island of Hainan. Many think that President Obama's first crisis came last month in the unlikely form of Somali pirates. (Actually, pirates have been patrolling those waters longer than there have been American presidents and they will likely be there hundreds of years from now.)

While Obama may have handled the high seas showdown, his most dangerous foe in Africa isn't a rag-tag group of teenagers with AK-47s and speedboats. No, that adversary is Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, the world's first sitting president with a warrant for his arrest.

Darfur, the war-torn western region of Sudan, is being pushed perilously close to the edge by the Sudanese government. The biggest test for Obama's foreign policy in Africa will not be pirates; it will be Bashir.

Click here to read the full article.

Foreign Policy North America United States North Africa Sudan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Iran War Fallout Gifts Putin Diplomatic Victory at ASEAN Summit
Russia looks set to reap economic benefits from closer ties with Southeast Asian countries that are keen to find reliable energy suppliers and diversify trade ties.
Alexander Gabuev
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Simmering U.S.-Iran Conflict Is Moscow’s Ideal Outcome
Ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East allows Moscow to both increase its influence in Tehran and continue to enjoy the financial windfall of higher oil prices.
Nikita Smagin
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade Routes
This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.
Galiya Ibragimova
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
How to Ensure That Europe-Russia Talks Do Not Fail
Reestablishing a dialogue with Moscow is not a goal in its own right. The goal is to guarantee the independence of Ukraine and the peace and security of Europe.
Arkady Moshes
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Who Does Azerbaijan Want to See Win Armenia’s Elections?
By fueling the arguments of both supporters and opponents of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijan wants to ensure he is re-elected with a weaker mandate.
Bashir Kitachaev

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Iran War Fallout Gifts Putin Diplomatic Victory at ASEAN Summit

Russia looks set to reap economic benefits from closer ties with Southeast Asian countries that are keen to find reliable energy suppliers and diversify trade ties.

Alexander Gabuev

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Simmering U.S.-Iran Conflict Is Moscow’s Ideal Outcome

Ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East allows Moscow to both increase its influence in Tehran and continue to enjoy the financial windfall of higher oil prices.

Nikita Smagin

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade Routes

This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.

Galiya Ibragimova

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

How to Ensure That Europe-Russia Talks Do Not Fail

Reestablishing a dialogue with Moscow is not a goal in its own right. The goal is to guarantee the independence of Ukraine and the peace and security of Europe.

Arkady Moshes

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Who Does Azerbaijan Want to See Win Armenia’s Elections?

By fueling the arguments of both supporters and opponents of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijan wants to ensure he is re-elected with a weaker mandate.

Bashir Kitachaev