I’m not convinced that intervening militarily in Darfur is a good idea. As Nicholas Kristof pointed out recently, with the negative perception of the US assault on Iraq, any American-led military action could easily be discredited by the Sudanese government as another ‘imperial’ invasion to gain access to the country’s vast oil resources.
So, before we get involved in a difficult and perhaps unsuccessful military operation, we should be trying a range of different options first. Targeted sanctions, a no-fly zone, and diplomatic isolation are a few ideas that come to mind.