The Arab League names a Sudanese general to head its humanitarian mission to Syria

No, that's not a parody. It would be too heavy-handed for satire. Michael Rubin:

Several weeks ago, the Arab League made headlines when the notoriously ineffective body first chided and then sanctioned Syria. Alas, it seems the Arab League has now reverted to its usual, leaving the Syrian people the sacrificial lamb.

The Arab League just nominated Sudanese Lt. Gen. Mohammad al-Dabi to head its mission in Damascus. Previously, Al-Dabi served as the Sudanese government’s top representative for Darfur in which capacity he obfuscated international efforts to alleviate the mass murder the Sudanese government sought to perpetrate in that western province. With Al-Dabi in Damascus, what could possibly go wrong?

Among his other previous positions, General Al-Dabi has also been the head of military intelligence and security minister for the genocidal regime in Khartoum—which has, of course, received strong and unwavering support from the Arab League.

For more details on the pending arrival of Arab League monitors in Syria, see this article in Beirut's Daily Star. Few observers expect this mission to do much to stop the ongoing bloodshed and repression in Syria, so perhaps sending General Al-Dabi is actually appropriate.

—Jeff Weintraub