In a strongly worded editorial the Los Angeles Times today implicated China in the recent attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in the Darfur region of Sudan. In what was the deadliest clash since the world body formally took control of the beleaguered mission from the African Union in January, at least seven peacekeepers were killed and countless others injured in the ambush on Tuesday.
China remains the second-biggest villain in this tragic tale, after the murderous Sudanese government. Beijing buys huge quantities of Sudanese oil and has obstructed efforts by the U.N. Security Council to impose tougher sanctions on the goons in Khartoum. A protest movement targeting the Beijing Olympics flared up during the international torch relay but has quieted since. We’re rooting for that to change by the time the Games open.
It’s all very well to embrace the spirit of international brotherhood and respect for human achievement that the Olympics represent, but Beijing is hoping to reap a PR bonanza from hosting the Games, and those hopes richly deserve to be dashed. Bring on the competition — and the protests aimed at exposing China’s unconscionable behavior.
