Sudan becoming "US ally" on war on terror

[Lunar]

Outside of the systemic gang rapes and slavery, Sudan's really not that bad.

[Lunar]

Way to put me in my place.

[Lunar]

Just stating the facts. Sudan is a terrible genocidal place, and the best US foreign policy move would be to support the Christian guerillas.

Heh, and I congratulated you for sticking it to my sarcasm.

[Lunar]

At the moment there is a cease-fire and kind of a peace agreement, between the SPLA and the government, so that makes this easier to happen. The question is, what happens if the agreement breaks down?

And if you want to really bash a government over this, look no further than the People's Republic of China, who has given plenty of aid to the government and has invested much in Sudan's oilfields in the south...so did Malaysia, come to think of it.

Indeed.  China is Sudan's main friend in the world.  Any action taken by the US in Sudan is going to be percieved as an interntional attack on Chinese national interests.  Thus, it's critical to approach Sudan carefully for humanitarian and peacekeeping projects, preferably as dual American-Chinese endeavors.

[Lunar]

I was serious on that post.

China is very edgy about any US action in Sudan.  China doesn't really oppose US humanitarian aid and whatnot, it just wants to make sure the US isn't using it as a mask for undermining a key Chinese oil source.

[Lunar]

Well if China is Communist and Hugo Chavez is Communist, they would have no problem getting it from Venezuela.

Oh wait, I guess China or Hugo Chavez isn't Communist. In fact, NEITHER are.

What's your point?  I don't get your logic.  Are countries restricted to trading with ideologically similar countries?

[Lunar]

I was serious on that post.

China is very edgy about any US action in Sudan.  China doesn't really oppose US humanitarian aid and whatnot, it just wants to make sure the US isn't using it as a mask for undermining a key Chinese oil source.

I, of course, being the evil neoconservative bastard that I am, would screw with them for precisely that reason.

Perhaps.  China is essential if we want to operate within the UN though.  We could skip the UN, but it would be more expensive since the UN already has the infrastructure within the country.   The AU is also involved in the country, that might be an easy way to operate within already existing infrastructure as well as                                                 appearing "multilateral."

Sudan really isn't critical to China.   I doubt screwing with them would have much of a significant impact on the Chinese economy.  If you just want to piss China off, there's easier ways to accomplish that , shrug.

Iran would be the ticket to do significant damage to China's oil supply.

[Lunar]

We can choke off the entire eastern hemisphere from Middle East oil by blockading the straits of Hormuz and using our bases in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Krygizstan to prevent oil from moving across Central Asia by land. As for Venezuelan and North Sea oil, we could blockade the straits of Malacca and the Panama canal, hence cutting off Venezuela's supply to any Asian nation. That leaves only Russia, but Russia doesn't have enough oil to feed what China's energy demands would be anyway. These are the benefits of sea power

The only time these things would happen would be if we were at war with China.  I doubt China will continue trading with the United States if we're attempting to starve her economy.  The US economy would collapse, something we could have achived by a direct embargo rather than indirect blockades of sattelite nations.

[Lunar]

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Yeah, that's why I was suggesting that we give China partial control over the humanitarian aid to ease their fears. 

I think I'd support equipping the AU forces in that country with top gear, giving them maybe 500 million dollars for humanitarian relief, and sending a some military "advisors" to make sure that the money goes where we want it.