Social Science Research Council

Posted on behalf of Ambassador Hassan E. Talib.
First of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to this blog for allowing this opportunity for the debate on the issue of culture and political conduct of the Islamic Movement in Sudan, including the National Islamic Front (NIF). I thank, as well, Dr. Al-Affendi for his [...]

Posted on behalf of AbdouMaliq Simone
The discussion that has taken place on this weblog over the last weeks concerning urbanization in the Sudan has raised many critical points to which I do not take issue. These discussions have provided incisive attention to how the complex and multiple historical trajectories—of movement, political mobilization, and economic [...]

Posted on behalf of Sean O’Fahey
War in Darfur and the Search for Peace is by far the best and most authoritative introduction to the Darfur crisis that I have read. But so fast-moving is the crisis, even since the publication of nthis book last year, that it is increasingly inaccurate to talk of [...]

*Posted on behalf of Philip Honour
The time has come for talks
Yesterday, the U.S State Department published a report on Human Rights Practice’s in Sudan. The report makes it clear that the Sudanese Government are failing dramatically to live up to their commitments to the civilian population in Darfur, but it [...]

Posted on behalf of Michael Kevane
Sudan’s land issues are big and dangerous. Let’s gingerly walk around this growling cur with a big stick and not be too optimistic about what land tenure interventions can do to promote peace and stability.
Sara Pantuliano’s paper seems targeted at the UN administrator who needs a set of talking points [...]

Posted on behalf of Paul De Wit and Jeffrey Hatcher
The need to address the issues of access and ownership of land, and land claims and disputes is recognized in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (EPA). New land policies and laws must respond to the [...]

Posted on behalf of Cara Parks of the New Republic
Yesterday on the New Republic website we ran an editorial on Darfur that I think your readers would really enjoy. The piece uses the declaration of Kosovo’s independence last week to look back at NATO’s involvement in the region — and then compares this experience with [...]

Posted on behalf of Rick Sterling. Rick Sterling is an Aerospace Engineer at UC Berkeley. He was active in support of the southern African liberation movements during the 1970’s and 80’s. He is currently on the board of the Mt Diablo Peace and Justice Center and a member of the Middle East Study Group in [...]

Editor’s note: Mia Farrow and Ronan Farrow, who were instrumental in starting up the "genocide Olympics" campaign, have offered these words.

Without question this is a a defining moment for each of us, and a deeply consequential one for the people of Darfur and eastern Chad. Responsible leaders and citizens alike should think carefully as to how they might best use their leverage with China. The successful staging of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games have proven to be a lone point of leverage with a country that has thus far been impervious to criticism. Those who have Peking’s ear in the lead-up to the Games and those underwriting the ceremony–the corporate sponsors–must step up and do their part. [...]

Editors note: We are pleased to have this contribution from Daniel Large, a UK-based scholar on China—Sudan relations who has published widely on the topic. He recently authored a piece, “China and the Changing Context of Development in Sudan,” for the journal Development.

Europe and America have tended to regard China as the Great Hope or the Great Demon, moving historically between binary projections of China as an enlightened model to learn from or as an example to avoid. In the case of Sudan today, however, China is paradoxically held up to represent both: it is supposedly the route to peace in Darfur but it is also responsible for ‘empowering evil’ in Sudan.

Steven Spielberg’s decision not to continue his role as artistic director[...]