Things aren't really looking up....

in Sudan. This article is another one of those pesky reminders that an engaged America needs to keep its eye on the ball in a lot more places than just Afghanistan. It will be interesting to see how President Obama reacts to the inevitable ugliness in Sudan, and how he will negotiate with, as the article points out, other parties in the region with skin in this game (read: China).

If we are lucky, perhaps a semi-peaceful, or at least non-genocidal, solution will emerge. But it will almost certainly not happen without some sort of international, ahem, persuasion.