The Path Of Least Resistance

143 Pages·2016·0.8 MB·English

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019
2012
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Mark J. MacFarlane
University of Central Florida
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MacFarlane, Mark J., "The Path Of Least Resistance: The Failure Of Humanitarianism And American
Foreign Policy In Sudan" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 2318.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2318
THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE: THE FAILURE OF HUMANITARIANISM AND
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY IN SUDAN

by

MARK J. MACFARLANE
B.A. State University of New York at Albany, 1994

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Arts
in the Department of History
in the College of Arts and Humanities
at the University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida

Spring Term
2012
© 2012 Mark J. MacFarlane

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ABSTRACT
This thesis examines America’s response to civil war, dispossession, and humanitarian
disaster in Sudan from the end of the Cold War up until the second Darfur uprising. While the
number of scholarly works examining the overall conflict and humanitarian crisis are immense,
less has been written in regard to America’s foreign policy in Sudan. The contemporary nature of
the crisis and dearth of historical analysis does make establishing trends difficult; but recent
works suggest a U.S. policy that is ill informed and therefore ineffectual in halting both the
conflict and crisis in Sudan. However, contrary to this opinion, the evidence may demonstrate
that United States policy, rather than a series of misjudgments or being simply ineffectual, has
been more systematic, informed and purposeful. This thesis argues that while the United States
wished for peace in Sudan, the historical evidence suggests that the path taken by the United
States knowingly prolonged the suffering of millions of Sudanese. Furthermore, American policy
makers have entrusted peace in Darfur and in other disparate regions of Sudan, as well as along
the newly formed borders with South Sudan, to the National Congress Party (NCP) a regime
Congress has labeled untrustworthy and despotic.
The bulk of the research used in this examination covered the period from 1989- 2008.
However, the independence achieved by the Republic of South Sudan in the summer of 2011 is
taken into account in the final analysis of the thesis. The secondary sources both cited and
considered for the thesis were substantial; these included academic articles, studies, and texts
published over several decades in several related fields of study germane to the thesis topic.
While a wide range of primary sources were used, the thesis relied heavily on United States
Congressional records from 1989-2008 for analysis.

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I dedicate this thesis to my son Noah. May he be a harbinger of peace.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is a pleasure to thank those who made this thesis possible. First, I would like to thank
my wife Zinthia who has given support, both academic, and in the form of constant
encouragement. Thanks too for putting up with me through this long and arduous process. I am
also grateful for the support and understanding of my friends and family. While work on my
thesis limited my time with you, you were always in my thoughts.
This thesis would not have been possible without the great knowledge and assistance I
was able to acquire from all the wonderful professors at the University of Central Florida—most
of all Dr. Ezekiel Walker who oversaw the process of writing this thesis and gave constant
direction. Lastly, I am grateful to the number of individuals that read drafts of my thesis—at
various stages of its completion—and were able to provide advice or comments. The feedback
was helpful throughout the process.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER ONE: AMERICA’S RESPONSE TO THE CONFLICT AND REFUGEE CRISIS IN
SUDAN ............................................................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER TWO: THE HISTORY OF CONFLICT AND DISPOSSESSION IN SUDAN ....... 22
CHAPTER THREE: THE US RESPONSE TO THE CONFLICT IN SUDAN: A
CONVENIENT PEACE ................................................................................................... 44
CHAPTER FOUR: AMERICA’S RESPONSE TO THE REFUGEE CRISIS IN SUDAN: THE
FAILURE OF HUMANITARIANISM AND DECLINE OF AMERICAN ASYLUM .. 84
CHAPTER FIVE: AFTERWORD ............................................................................................. 109
ENDNOTES ............................................................................................................................... 123

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AMIS African Mission in Sudan
AU African Union
CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement
DUP Democratic Unionist party
GNU Government of National Unity
GOS Government of Sudan
GoSS Government of South Sudan
ICC International Criminal Court
ICG International Crisis Group
IGAD The Intergovernmental Authority for Development
JEM Justice and Equality Movement
NCP National Congress Party
NDA National Democratic Alliance
NIF National Islamic Front
OLS Operation Lifeline Sudan
PCP People’s Congress Party
SAF Sudan Armed Forces
SLA/M Sudan Liberation Movement/Army
SPLA/M Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army
UN United Nations
UNAMID African/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur
UNMIS United Nations Mission in Sudan
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UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees
UNSC United Nations Security Council

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CHAPTER ONE: AMERICA’S RESPONSE TO THE CONFLICT AND REFUGEE
CRISIS IN SUDAN
Sudan’s Civil War, which began in 1956, has been perhaps the world’s most pressing
geopolitical dilemma. Prior to the new millennium, the conflict and the humanitarian crisis were
only intermittingly halted by a respite of ten years brought about by the Addis Ababa peace
agreement in 1972. The conflict then renewed with horrific intensity in 1983. Since then over
two million people have died.1 Further, millions have been forced to flee their homes. On the
surface the conflict involved rebels from the South fighting against various hegemonic Sudanese
governments operating from Khartoum, which then expanded in 2002-2003 to the Western
region of Darfur, threatening the supposed peace process (for those who put any stock in it) that
had been underway between the Sudanese government and the Southern rebels. The peace
process began the previous year and was to lead to the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) which was finalized in 2005. An important piece to the CPA was the 2011 referendum to
decide whether the South would remain part of a united Sudan or separate.
The South, choosing the latter path, formed the newly independent Republic of South
Sudan on July 9, 2011. While this momentous event has given much reason for encouragement,
many of the fundamental issues that plagued the two disparate regions, now two separate nations,
remain unresolved. Dispossession and humanitarian disaster, both directly tied to the policies of
the Sudanese government, continue to plague Sudan and South Sudan. In January, 2011, there
were still an estimated 4.3 million Internally Displaced Persons* (IDPs) in Sudan. While many of
these unfortunate persons presently languish within the borders of Sudan or South Sudan,

* The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimated as of January 2011 that there were still 5 million
internally displaced persons in Sudan. The UNHCR uses a lower figure of 4.3 million. (Both these figures include
the region of southern Sudan that currently is the Republic of South Sudan.)
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