No stones unturned

By Naguib mahfouz

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What is happening now in Darfur demonstrates that as Arabs we have yet to understand the realities of the age in which we live. In this world of ours there is no longer any such thing as an internal affair. The world has diminished in size, its once distant nodes becoming closer and closer. What happens in the most out-of-the-way Sudanese region interests the world.

We must take into account that, in an age that has witnessed ever louder cries in support of human rights, whether rightly or wrongly, it is no longer possible to deal with internal problems by oppression. The use of force can only be a last resort and should be undertaken only in the most carefully calculated way. Any other response can easily be portrayed as an attempt at genocide, and will provide an excuse for others to intervene in pursuit of their own agendas.

It is true that there are those countries that continue to rely on oppression -- the Palestinians and Chechnyans are victims of such -- but Israel and Russia resort to the methods they use only because they are certain they will not be used as an excuse for military intervention. The same cannot be said of any Arab state.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.