Demagogue

This BBC story on today's report by Louise Arbour, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, reveals how the UN's member nations effectively sabotage the organization's ability to act effectively.

As members of the Security Council, both China and Russia have blocked efforts to impose sanctions against the Sudanese government -- mostly to protect their trade and economic ties with the corrupt regime in Khartoum.

Now it appears that it's America's turn to play the role of obstructionist.

According to the BBC, although Arbour's report will call for prosecuting the major Darfur perpetrators at the International Criminal Court, U.S. officials (who have always viewed the ICC with hostility) are expected to oppose this request and propose setting up a separate tribunal.

The best assessment comes from author and human rights activist Samantha Power: "The Bush administration can't decide what it dislikes more: genocide or the International Criminal Court, which aims to punish it."

Today, Amnesty International publicly urged the White House to back down from its opposition to pursuing the ICC prosecutorial route.

Meanwhile, African heads of state have gathered in Chad to discuss ways to strengthen the shaky ceasefire in Sudan's Darfur region. Sources report close to 100 documented violations of the ceasefire agreement since late last year.

(A copy of the official UN report on Darfur is here.)