Sudan: Darfur, Islamism and the World

This accessible, informative book details and dissects the recent descent into chaos of Darfur and Sudan. Cockett, Africa editor for The Economist, uses Sudan's history under British rule and interviews with UN and other officials (including former members of the feared janjaweed) to present the deeply disturbing account of the 300,000 people who died and the three million who were driven from their homes. Cockett explains the geographical, political, and ethnic divide between Khartoum in the north, the home of the government and the wealthy and educated elite, and Darfur, 750 miles to the west, rich in oil but deliberately underdeveloped and plagued by devastating droughts. Khartoum politicians chose to "divide and rule" in order to gain land, forcing people out and ordering the janjaweed to destroy villages and kill inhabitants. Cockett maintains that the west shares the blame for these atrocities through a combination of misguided meddling and a lack of interest. Numerous maps and an impressive bibliography add credibility to this fine work. (July)