Balkans-Sudan Question

[Sir Degrader]

Sudan: 180,000-300,000 dead in less then 3.
Balkans: 300,000 dead, over 5 years of conflict.

Now a question: Why isn't Holland, Canada, etc, getting involved, considering they got involved during the Balkan Wars?

Possible Reasons:
1) They dont' really care. I know this is for France, US, BR, likely, as it doesn' impact their foreign policy.
2) Lack of ability. The US is tied down in Iraq and Afghanistant, Canada is deployed all over the world, but what about Norway, The Netherlands, etc? What are THEY doing to help out besides pointing fingers?

[Dreamer128]

I was under the impression that the African Union Peace Force present in Darfur was funded by the EU, and that the UN was sending additional troops as well. As for the question of 'lack of ability', we are in fact engaged in Afghanistan, and only just withdrew our troops from Iraq. Yesterday, the Dutch parliament decided to send an additional 1200 troops to the Afghan province of Uruzgan (total costs for The Netherlands: around 350 million euros), which is one of the most dangerous locations in that country. Considering the fact that we are an extremely small country, I'd say we're pretty overstretched.

[ 02-04-2006, 08:36 PM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]

[johnny]

Originally posted by Sir Degrader: Sudan: 180,000-300,000 dead in less then 3. Balkans: 300,000 dead, over 5 years of conflict. Now a question: Why isn't Holland, Canada, etc, getting involved, considering they got involved during the Balkan Wars? Possible Reasons: 1) They dont' really care. I know this is for France, US, BR, likely, as it doesn' impact their foreign policy. 2) Lack of ability. The US is tied down in Iraq and Afghanistant, Canada is deployed all over the world, but what about Norway, The Netherlands, etc? What are THEY doing to help out besides pointing fingers?

What are we doing ? Sorry, but we were occupied in Iraq and Afghanistan for the past few years, and in the case of Afghanistan, will be for the next few years. Please give us a call when the current crusade comes to a closure, thank you.

[johnny]

Oh, and next time, do some research before you decide to post something ignorant.

[dplax]

So as to break my habit of not replying to threads in CE...


To answer the general question: because everyone cares more about problems being closer to his home than far away.

Recent examples of this are:

-the whole bird flu crisis causing about one death every week getting more coverage than one death from famine in Africe every fifteen minutes (figures might not be completely accurate, didn't reread articles I have read some time ago).

-the death of those, who died in the London (or New York, or Madrid...) bombings getting more coverage than about ten thousand times as many people being killed in civil war in Africa over the past two-three years.

etc...I could go on, citing examples, when news, which is much closer to people gains much more of their attention, when it is much smaller in severity than news going on far away.

[ 02-04-2006, 09:27 PM: Message edited by: dplax ]

[dplax]

Involvment in the Balkans war by said countries was because NATO intervened and they are members of NATO.

If/when the UN shall send troops to Sudan, it shall be UN member states who shall give troops to the cause.

[Sir Degrader]

Originally posted by johnny: Oh, and next time, do some research before you decide to post something ignorant.

Easy Johnny, I made an error, and realise that, no need for hostility.

[Stratos]

Most countries in the world don't have the resources to go on these kind of military adventures. Only a handful countries, or coalition of countries, can do this.

The UN could this it, of course, but we all know how difficult it is to get a military intervention through them. And NATO don't seem interested.