Originally published on the CGS blog on June 6, 2007.
Amnesty International launched a new initiative today that will give the public another glance into the situation in Darfur. Amnesty produced “Eyes on Darfur” with the hope of raising awareness and preventing future attacks through its collection of satellite imagery, testimonials, and actionable items.
While an exciting and innovative product, Amnesty’s release is not entirely unique. In April, Google Earth and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum joined together to launch, “Crisis in Darfur,” a project that provides satellite pictures of Dafur to visualize and better understand the genocide currently unfolding in Darfur. And a few months before that, the Council on Foreign Relations released “Crisis Guide: Darfur,” an interactive educational tool on Darfur.
What does the proliferation of electronic advocacy tools for Darfur tell us? There is no doubt that we’ve seen a groundswell of activism in our country on Darfur – everyone from high school students to soccer moms to faith communities rally around the cause. As the crisis drags on, perhaps we as concerned Americans yearn for new ways to engage and take action. Satellite photographs such as the ones provided by Amnesty International and the Holocaust Museum were previously only available to the intelligence community or select State Department officials. Now they are within reach of the American public. What will we do with them?
