It seems Sudan may have agreed to allow U.N. troops as part of a hybrid peacekeeping force for Darfur. And oddly enough, some people think Hollywood could have played a role.

Reports of the possible deal follow a recent visit to Sudan by a senior Chinese official, Zhai Jun. The purpose of his trip wasn't another oil deal with Khartoum or any business-related matter. Zhai was sent to pressure Sudan to allow U.N. peacekeepers into the country, the International Herald Tribune reports.

But why such a sudden change of heart in Chinese government circles, when they have previously seemed so reluctant to get involved?

The answer could be linked to two words: "Genocide Olympics".

According to the paper, actress Mia Farrow started a campaign to label next year's Olympic games in Beijing the "Genocide Olympics". She also appealed to the Olympics artistic adviser Steven Spielberg to prod China to act on Darfur.

We shouldn't "underestimate the power of Hollywood to generate political pressure on intractable global issues", Newsday says.

But not everyone thinks sending peacekeepers to Darfur is a solution.

If you believe the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was a mistake or that complex conflicts cannot be solved with external military intervention, then you shouldn't be promoting the use of foreign soldiers in Darfur, say Robert Menard, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders, and Africa expert Stephen Smith in the LA Times.

Menard and Smith believe a political solution is what Darfur needs first, so that the eventual U.N. peacekeeping force actually has a peace to keep.

But it's not surprising the public backs calls for peacekeepers, the authors say. They don't understand the realities on the ground because the European and U.S. media paint a simplistic picture of a conflict pitting government-backed 'Arabs' against 'black Africans'.

Hardly anyone mentions the fact there are 15 different rebels groups, which have been an increasing obstacle in getting humanitarian aid to the displaced. Throw in some peacekeepers and you get an even bigger mess, according to Menard and Smith.

Writing in Lebanon's Daily Star, Darfur expert Julie Flint agrees it's insane to put the "exclusive focus" on deploying U.N. troops and not devote energy to negotiating a peace deal.

Her recent visit to the region reveals a changing picture on the ground: rebels making deals with Janjaweed tribes, joint Arab-African markets being established, stolen animals returned. The International Herald Tribune reports similar developments.

In the absence of any peace agreement to monitor, Menard and Smith ask: "What right do we have to demand that anyone - be they our children or U.N. blue helmets from the Third World - go and die in Darfur?"

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