JSPES, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Summer 2008)
pp. 229-264

“Do Something About Darfur”: A Review of the Complexities

Dwight D. Murphey

Wichita State University, retired

A great many well-meaning people in the United States and elsewhere have long called upon their governments to “do something about Darfur,” citing the promise George W. Bush made to himself in the context of the earlier Ugandan slaughter, "Not on my watch." Many, including the United States government, assert that what has occurred in Darfur is “genocide.” In this article, Professor Murphey admonishes that the facts and issues in Darfur are not nearly so simple as such a view thinks them to be. He sees the war in Darfur in the context of a long history of conflict in the Sudan and in Africa. The article will seek to be informative rather than exhortatory, leaving it to readers to form their own conclusions about what, if anything, can be done about "the situation in Darfur."