Wow! eBook
Congo
Author(s): Thomas Turner (Author)
- Publisher: Polity
- Publication Date: 12 April 2013
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 240 pages
- ISBN-10: 9780745648439
- ISBN-13: 0745648436
Book Description
The conflict in the DRC has divided opinion; some call it a civil war, or a war of aggression by the country’s neighbours; others a continuation of Rwanda’s Hutu-Tutsi conflict on Congolose soil, and a war of partition and pillage. The prevalence of rape and sexual violence has led some analysts to mark it out as a hidden ‘war against women’. Tom Turner’s insightful book reveals how each of these descriptions accurately captures the separate elements of this complex and multidimensional political conflict. In exploring each of these contributory factors, he shows how current attempts to rebuild the shattered state and society of DRC are doomed to fail. So long as the full complexity of the Congo crisis is not taken into account and a clear consensus as to its precise dimensions reached, the future looks bleak. The DRC, he argues, will likely remain a global hot spot for some time to come.
Editorial Reviews
Review
John F. Clark, Florida International University
“The book on Congo that I have been waiting for: compact, powerful, and judicious. It is clear without oversimplifying the complexity. It provides an important historical perspective, and makes sexual violence central to the set of problems that need to be explained. Perfect for classroom use, and an excellent primer on the central issues for experts and readers of all hues.”
“With keen attention to historical detail, Turner offers a wide-ranging analysis of the political and humanitarian challenges posed by the Congo’s agonies; no one seriously interested in taking the measure of the unfolding crisis can afford to ignore this compelling effort to make intelligible its never-ending quest for peace and stability.”
“Thomas Turner has written a powerful book about the causes and consequences of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As an American academic and country specialist of Amnesty International, the author has achieved comprehensiveness in a compact and very accessible manner. Excellently researched and wellwritten, the text comes with many advantages, but none of the disadvantages of its academic peers. It is to be recommended as a substantial but digestible introduction to the country, while also offering a large number of facts and interesting reflections to those who are more familiar with it. It demonstrates great understanding of the Congolese context, while also bringing in new perspectives.”
