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The Congo Wars: Conflict, Myth and Reality

The Congo Wars: Conflict, Myth and Reality
By Thomas Turner

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Product Description

This book, by a lifelong authority on the Congo, makes sense of the world’s least reported and least understood major war. Since 1996 successive waves of armed conflict in the Congo have left behind at least 3 million casualties, overwhelmingly civilian. Turner throws new light on partisan and economically self-interested military interventions by Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia. And he cuts through the highly tendentious historical myths that have been used to make sense of the unfolding catastrophe both in the region and beyond. The book also indicates the changes required of the international community, neighboring African states and Congolese political leaders if this hugely resource-rich region of Central Africa is to build peace and economic security for its people.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #68774 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-06-15
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 256 pages

Features

Editorial Reviews

Review
'Thomas Turner's book will likely be the point of reference for anyone interested in the Congo wars, their origins and dynamics and why, in spite of the carnage, they remain a largely ignored and unknown conflict outside of Central Africa'. Ian Taylor, University of St Andrews 'Thomas Turner provides the most lucid and detailed analysis of the complexity of the internal and interregional wars that have plagued this vast country since 1996. By situating this tragic history within the legacies of colonialism and Mobutuism, the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the criminalization of political activity in resource rich but politically unstable regions of the world, he has produced a remarkable and highly readable book.' Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, United Nations Development Programme

About the Author

Thomas Turner is Professor of Political Science at the National University of Rwanda

Customer Reviews

Rather sloggy3
The Congo Wars: Conflict, Myth and Reality is written by veteran Congo scholar Thomas Turner. It is not a narrative of the wars. Rather, the book tries to do many things: the early chapters are wonderful at introducing and contextualizing the conflict, later it describes the belief of Ugandans that Congo is a place where you can steal cars, meet women, and make money, the ways Uganda/Rwanda have plundered Congo, the role of the international community and the elections that have been held since the war ended. The result is a book which is slightly clunky, two chapters of in-depth analysis on the impact of the war in the provinces of North and South Kivu I found a particular slog but unfortunately unenlightening. It is a useful book nonetheless.

Straight and true4
The Congo crises of the late 20th Century contributed to the death of perhaps four million people, and yet the literature on these conflicts and their causes is sparse and generally undistinguished.
Turner's book reflects a real mastery of Central African history and politics, and he takes an almost clinical approach to his story, with all the gory details and no particular axes to grind.