The Root Causes of Sudans Civil Wars

Posted on 23 March 2018 by Douglas H. Johnson

Sudan s post independence history has been dominated by long, recurring, and bloody civil wars Most commentators have attributed the country s political and civil strife either to an age old racial and ethnic divide between Arabs and Africans or to colonially constructed inequalities In The Root Causes of Sudan s Civil Wars, Douglas H Johnson examines historical, political, economic, and social factors to come to a subtle understanding of the trajectory of Sudan s civil wars Johnson focuses on the essential differences between the modern Sudan s first civil war in the 1960s, the current war, and the minor conflicts generated by and contained within the larger wars Regional and international factors, such as humanitarian aid, oil revenue, and terrorist organizations, are cited and examined as underlying issues that have exacerbated the violence Readers will find an immensely readable yet nuanced and well informed handling of the history and politics of Sudan s civil wars. Free Download [ The Root Causes of Sudans Civil Wars ] Author [ Douglas H. Johnson ] – kino-fada.fr Throrough, but quite a dense book Took ages to read Some sections have also not really been updated since the early 2000s Still a very informative book.return return Johnson takes asouthern view than Collins History of Modern Sudan , and indeed invokes anthropology which I always appreciate as much as political analysis to tell, essentially, much the same story Johnson snipes at some of Collins earlier work from the footnotes return return Johnson s focus is, not unreasonably, on the north south conflict He provides a much deeper understanding than Collins of what made the re return return Johnson takes asouthern view than Collins History of Modern Sudan , and indeed invokes anthropology which I always appreciate as much as political analysis to tell, essentially, much the same story Johnson snipes at some of Collins earlier work from the footnotes return return Johnson s focus is, not unreasonably, on the north south conflict He provides a much deeper understanding than Collins of what made the resort to war not only credible but almost inevitable and not only between the south and the north, but within the south, in particular when John Garang s lieutenant Riek Machar struck out on his own to lead what became a largely Nuer struggle against Garang s largely Dinka forces though as Johnson rightly points out, one should not try and categorise too rigorously Apart from tribal identities, there was also the strategic choice between Garang s ideal of a secular state in the whole of Sudan, wi...He mostly goes over politics and warfare, not so much about the people who are affected by both There s so much attention to detail that information gets a little mushed The SPLA and all its factions and leaders are quite ineffective against Khartoum s policies and attacks, especially when those factions are corrupt and are fighting amongst themselves He never really states this or gives a very clear picture of the whole scenario He ll spotlight one person or group and then head on to anothe He mostly goes over politics and warfare, not so much about the people who are affected by both There s so much attention to detail that information gets a little mushed The SPLA and all its factions and leaders are quite ineffective against Khartoum s policies and attacks, especially when those factions are corrupt and are fighting amongst themselves He never really states this or gives a very clear picture of the whole scenario He ll spotlight one person or group and then head on to another without making clear connections from one to another The reader has to construct their own bridges, which might end up misguided Plus, there s so little on the actual civilians, it has to be a misguided if this is the only source the reader reads on Sudan Putting pieces together, it seems as though the Sudanese civil war is lopsided in favor of Khartoum, which traditionally exploited and enslaved the South Those ...This is one of the best accounts of Sudan that I ve read since I ve arrived here It definately focuseson the North South war than say Darfur or the East, but it also briefly addresses issues in these regions If you are interested in the tit for tat and then the break up of the SPLA, militias in...a surprisingly gripping readtragic though to be in this country sudan i mean and realise how extraordinary the people are and to read about the terrible suffering they have undergone and to see it all starting up again as the elections loomso unjustThis book in great detail illustrates the complexities of the Sudanese conflicts The current conflicts were already forecast in the breakdown of the 1972 agreement How does the international community not getinvolved in SudanDense.Very factual, but let s be honest, also very dry.

English
23 March 2018

Douglas H. Johnson