Responses to Boots on the ground... but where?

[gunner_1956]

Folks - I served with the AU mission in Darfur for 7 months as part of Op AUGURAL and the DITF.  Please believe me that the POLARIS Institute's assertion that this would be a re-vitalization of Canada's blue beret tradition is absolute nonsense.  I'm not sure that world exists anymore.  To be successful, this mission would quickly devolve into a full blown "knock-em-down-drag-em-out".  There are so many parochial interests (both local and international) you can't keep track of the players without a scorecard.  In a classic PK situation there has to be a least a core of reasonable parties to deal with - Darfur does not qualify on that count.  There are no good guys or bad guys - just bad guys and victims...... and as soon as any victims get guns - they become bad guys too.  Retribution is an institutional blood sport with deep historic and cultural ties for those folks - read your history books.

As for some of the comments about the effectiveness of the AU troops.  I think they did an outstanding job in their first year.  They put 5000 troops on the ground in the first three months and the raid count dropped from 427 to 4 in that time - all the while covering an AOR the size of France.  The UN was never that successful.  Frankly the West should be a little less sanctimonious.

Ref a UN mission in Darfur.  There is no UN mission in Darfur.  No UNSCR for Chap 6.  No clamouring for TCNs........ the list of failures goes on and that should tell you something.

Sorry about ranting - these guys just hit one of my buttons.

Cheers

 

[Chewie]

Tell it like it is GUNNER

Maybe some folks from their organization should get their boots on the ground..

paper warriors aren't worth the paper they write on

Andy