Odd as it may sound for a Machiavellian rationalist, I despise hypocrisy. Not for any moral reason, though, but because hypocrisy is an art few public figures are up to. Like many good things, hypocrisy badly done is counterproductive.

I have listened for some time to the PR screams about Darfur and was recently approached to participate. I won’t.
Sudan is Egypt’s enemy. Israel must strengthen Sudan to drain Egypt in the arms race. To undermine Sudan’s government is stupid for Israel.

Lies work for immediate ends, but don’t last. Jewish organizations whose baron-like leaders don’t understand mob mentality, think they can fake compassion. They cannot. Mobs quickly sense lies. To help Darfur, supply arms to JEM and airlift food over Janjaweed cordons. That would build the world’s goodwill for Israel; half-hearted pronouncements will not do. But why Darfur? The ostensible victims launched the conflict by attacking government installations. Fur tribe was not oppressed in Sudan, much of whose army was drawn from Darfur. The conflict is centuries-old, and both sides intermittently slaughter each other. It is not even clear what part of the death toll relates to ethnic cleansing rather than natural circumstances of exploding population in a poor region. The destroyed villages account for thousands of deaths, not hundreds of thousands.The atrocities in Darfur are moderate by African standards. Civilized nations lost dozens of millions of people in the twentieth century, and have no moral stance to be the world’s nanny. Power struggles go on throughout history, and will continue. They are always bloody. We might stop immense atrocities, like in Rwanda, but hardly the ongoing conflicts like in Darfur. On the contrary, neither the West, nor Israel cared about Rwanda, and the concern about Darfur stems from mistake.The inept decision-makers found a suitable atrocity of Arab Muslims against other people, and trumpeted it. Oops, Janjaweed are not strictly Arab. Oops, Janjaweed are virulently anti-Islamic, and routinely deface mosques and burn Qurans. Just why should we oppose anti-Islamic forces? Forget Darfur and mind your own business.