But this time it is punitive warfare with a difference. First there were tales about a 'race war' and the 'oppression' of women. When these failed to impress the public, propaganda operatives found their 'magic bullet' in allegations of slavery. Again and again, stories about a trade in human captives were funneled to the western media by organizations connected with the 'aid industry' and other interested parties. As each report was carefully discredited, a dozen more came along to take their place.
Repetition is a basic component of propaganda.
And in a sense it has worked. A number of groups that would ordinarily be appalled by U.S. aggression against an African state have thus far been reluctant to speak up for Sudan. There is a certain irony about the choice of Sudan as a target. The charge has never been that Sudan poses a military threat to anyone. Rather, those who predict Sudan's revolution spilling over into Egypt base their assumptions on the popularity of the regime.