Omar
al-Bashir is an old desert snake. He is pretty strategic and astute. And he has
also been a key player against the interests of the UN and its image, including
in the peacekeeping area.
Once
more he has managed to strike another blow against the prestige of the UN. In
this case, the loser is the International Criminal Court.
But
it is also the South African government. The authorities were caught in a dreadful
dilemma: either to arrest Bashir and risk a serious row with Sudan and many
other African governments; or let him leave South Africa, notwithstanding the
court order, and risk further criticism at home.
They
opted for the let-go option. I think in the end that was the only reasonable
decision they could take. Politics is about deciding and the lesser evil is quite
often the better decision. Now they should have the courage to explain the
decision. Politics is also about telling the story in a way that makes sense
and considers public opinion as a very serious issue.
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