US to Pursue Greater Engagement with Sudan

After months of internal debate, the Obama Administration announced a policy for Sudan today, designed to promote peace between the north and south and to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur that Colin Powell labeled "genocide." US special envoy for Sudan, General Scott Gration, had argued that sanctions against Sudan would be counterproductive, but humanitarian groups and prominent members of Congress disagreed. The new policy includes carrots as well as sticks. Jennifer Cooke is Director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.