No Pepsi Only Coke No Coke

Sudanese ambassador John Ukec Lueth Ukec, in a press conference at the National Press Club yesterday, after calling his country "the breadbasket of the world", threatened to bring about the downfall of Western society. His threat, sadly, is not unfounded. The WaPo's Dana Milbank, who attended the event, reports.

[T]he good and peaceful leaders of Sudan were prepared to retaliate massively: They would cut off shipments of the emulsifier gum arabic, thereby depriving the world of cola.

"I want you to know that the gum arabic which runs all the soft drinks all over the world, including the United States, mainly 80 percent is imported from my country," the ambassador said after raising a bottle of Coca-Cola.

A reporter asked if Sudan was threatening to "stop the export of gum arabic and bring down the Western world."

"I can stop that gum arabic and all of us will have lost this," Khartoum Karl [nee Ukec] warned anew, beckoning to the Coke bottle. "But I don't want to go that way."

As diplomatic threats go, that one gets high points for creativity: Try to stop the killings in Darfur, and we'll take away your Coca-Cola.

If the world's most famous Diet Coke drinker was watching, it's only a matter of time before we launch an unsuccessful attempt to Save Darfur.

More here. Milbank's Daily Show-worthy video recap of the press conference here.

Thanks to Sean Higgins, who suggests we all make like Bill Murray and switch to beer, for the tip.