Recent Publications

A New History of a Long War

Julie Flint and Alex de Waal (2008)

Written by two authors with unparalleled first-hand experience of Darfur, this book is the definitive guide to the Darfur conflict. Newly updated and hugely expanded from the original A Short History of a Long War, this edition details Darfur’s history and traces the origins, organisation and ideology of the infamous Janjawiid and rebel groups. It also analyses the brutal response of the Sudanese government. The authors investigate the resopnses by the African Union and the international community, including the halting peace talks and the attempts at civilian protection. Flint and de Waal provide and authoritative and compelling account of contemporary Africa’s most controversial conflict.

War in Darfur and the Search for Peace

Alex de Waal (editor), 2007

Since 2003, the Darfur region of Sudan has been the locus of a hideous war that has aroused the outrage of millions of ordinary people across the world. But despite a high level of media coverage and activist mobilization, Darfur’s society and politics remain poorly understood. War in Darfur and the Search for Peace brings together essays by noted Sudanese scholars and international experts on Darfur, containing much new historical and contemporary research. The first part of the volume examines the causes of the war, including chapters on how the Sudanese state functions, how disputes over land rights and local government helped spark conflict, the origins and development of the infamous Janjawiid militia and the rebel movements, and how Darfur’s war is entangled in the ongoing political crisis in Chad. The second part turns to the international efforts to achieve peace in Darfur. Three chapters, written by participants in the African Union’s mediation effort, document and analyze the attempt to mediate between Khartoum and the rebels. Contributions also examine how Darfur has been represented in the American press and how it has been the basis for an enormous advocacy campaign.

Aids and Power: Why there is no political crisis - yet

Alex de Waal, 2006

HIV/AIDS, Africa’s greatest human tragedy for over a century, is an immense challenge to democrats and activists. This book looks at whether governments can survive an epidemic that has cut life expectancy in half, further burdened fragile economies, and created millions of orphans. It explores why, twenty years into the crisis, democratic governments are performing so poorly in tackling the disease. It argues that existing approaches to the epidemic are driven by interests and frameworks that fail to engage with African resilience and creativity. Already, African communities have confounded some of the worst predictions of disaster, and if adequately supported, can find ways of sustaining development and democracy in the midst of HIV/AIDS.

Reviews
Lancet review of AIDS and Power

Foreign Affairs review of AIDS and Power

This publication can be ordered from www.zedbooks.co.uk

Join the international policy discussion of this book at the Social Science Research Council’s AIDS and Power Book Blog.