Senate Foreign Relations Chair and Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden has just called for a U.S. military force to be sent to Darfur. “I think it’s time to put force on the table and use it.” said Biden at a recent Committee hearing on Darfur.

I saw this comment and could not help but wonder whether this was a serious statement or a Presidential cycle posture by Biden.

As a practical matter I don’t believe that the Bush Administration would even consider sending several thousand U.S. troops to Darfur – firstly because they probably don’t believe they have the troops to spare and secondly I don’t think Darfur is a big priority for them. (This is – of course – unacceptable but is the content for a different post.)
However, beyond that fact – I think that there is also a broader question to consider re: whether it is wise for a U.S. military force to engage in Sudan at a time when U.S.-Muslim world relations are so strained.

Joe Biden is a smart guy who must be aware of such risks and so I would encourage him and others who want to do more on Darfur to seriously explore different ways they can get more African troops to the theatre of operations. One thing worth considering – the U.S. could fully fund a large AU force that would be requested by Chad to police its border with Sudan to prevent the militias raiding the camps as they did this week.
A broader agenda worh considering can be found here.

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