Darfur confirms what was already known: the United States and its European allies want Africans to take chief responsibility to stop mass killing in their region, and Africans are willing to try by using and strengthening the African Union (AU). Yet creating an AU 'capability to protect' depends vitally on Western help. It is not enough to increase the supply of African peacekeepers: peacekeeping works when the warring parties are ready for peace, whereas genocide occurs when there is no peace to keep. Besides more peacekeepers, Africa needs a capability for forcible humanitarian intervention. This implies AU forces superior to the forces doing the killing, including those of the complicit regime - a tall order to be sure, but feasible because killing forces usually lack combat capability and are ready to kill but not to fight. To build such a force, the AU should look upon NATO as a model for force planning and force generation, and as a partner ready to assist and stand behind AU forces.
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