One year after the International Criminal Court accused Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, of war crimes for the genocidal rampage in Darfur, he was re-elected in a blatantly manipulated election. Mr. Bashir has no legitimacy and he must stand trial for his crimes. But those facts must not divert the world's attention from another potential crisis: the very real danger of renewed civil war between Arab Muslim northern Sudan and the south, which is largely Christian and animist. The last conflict — from 1983 to 2005 — left about two million people dead. Under a United States-backed peace agreement, the semi-autonomous southern region will hold a referendum in January to decide its future. Voters are expected to choose independence. Leaders in both the north and the south pledged to respect the results. But there is so much oil involved that they can't be depended on to keep their word — without strong encouragement from the United States and other major players.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sudan's Resource Curse
NYT 5.3.2010
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ReplyDeleteThe 'resource curse' hypothesis holds that an abundance of natural resources is significantly likely to hinder a developing country's economic growth. The author of the passage above claims that, in the absence a strong US hand in Sudanese politics, available oil wealth there makes it difficult to trust either the Northern or the Southern faction of the conflict. From a moral point of view, we should presume that the Southern society's political will should be respected, given its level of political organization.
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