The citizens and state representatives of Wisconsin should endorse pending legislation that would work to divest money currently engaged in any business partnerships with the government of Sudan.
Violence in the Darfur region of the country has reached new heights in the past few years, and while divestment sends a clear message to the government in Khartoum, it is only the first step.
The divestment would come from private pension investments for retired state workers, which are handled by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. According to SWIB, ventures in companies with ties to Sudan currently amount to 0.12 percent of its total investments.
WISB is correct in pointing out the lack of information concerning exactly which companies are currently profiting through the Sudanese government, but eliminating that paltry amount from its portfolio, given the known collaborates, will certainly not drive any one investor to the poorhouse.
In the 1980s, widespread divestment in South Africa was integral in the push to end apartheid, making it clear to the Afrikaner government that the United States and the whole world demanded change. Lately, peace deals in conflict-ridden areas have seemed to serve only as a coaster for some warlord's beverage, but economic pressure can make a statement to foreign governments.
It should not be forgotten though, that, when using econimic pressure to curtail oppresive governments in Africa, one of the largest obstacles will be China, which has been investing heavily in Africa in the last few years, including a billion dollar contract to rebuild Nigeria's railways. Chinese companies place no terms of finance on governments such as increased transparency or observing of human rights.
If Western funds dry up, these governments could simply reallocate their contracts to Chinese businesses, severely reducing our abilities to wage economic warfare.
With a conservative Muslim government in power (Osama bin Laden called Sudan home in the '90s), divestment can only be the first step towards a lasting peace. The African Union currently has 7,000 Peace Keepers in the area, but if as many people are as truly concerned about ending the violence as they say they are, more direct options must be considered.
While the government in Khartoum would surely cry, ""Imperialism!"", supporting the AU and UN with international boots on the ground tends to produce more results than curtailing investments or George Clooney's celebrity fundraisers.
