Product Description
This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Fate of the Arabian Peninsula, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on October 18, 2004. The length of the article is 1727 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: SYRIA - Background.(Sudan's political history and economic conditions)
Publication: APS Diplomat Fate of the Arabian Peninsula (Newsletter)
Date: October 18, 2004
Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions
Volume: 48Issue: 4

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Since Sudan gained its independence from the British on the 1st of January 1956, the northerners have dominated the political arena of the country and make Islam the only legal religion (law), ignoring all other religions such as Christianity and other local beliefs. Since then, the war in Sudan has worsened and continues to do so at an alarming rate. Watching the news on our TVs and reading the newspapers for the past 22 years and even nowadays in Darfur, Eastern Sudan, we are increasingly made aware of the genocides of the people in Southern Sudan and other marginalised areas. Slavery and holy war have been declared against the South. Millions have been killed or displaced throughout the world. Others have undergone humiliation, surviving in the worst human conditions in shantytowns around Khartoum and other northern major cities. No one can really predict the end of the suffering of people of Southern Sudan. Now the choice is ours. Do we accept slavery or become free men? Vote for the independence of Southern Sudan in the referendum. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from APS Diplomat Fate of the Arabian Peninsula, published by Pam Stein/Input Solutions on September 27, 2004. The length of the article is 1727 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: SUDAN - Background.(political history and economy )
Publication: APS Diplomat Fate of the Arabian Peninsula (Newsletter)
Date: September 27, 2004
Publisher: Pam Stein/Input Solutions
Volume: 48Issue: 3

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This text provides a comprehensive analysis of Sudan's unresolved struggle between supporters of the majoritarian vision who seek to create a cohesive Arab-Islamic state and the pluralists who strive for equality before the law. North America: Indiana U Press ... Read more

Product Description
This incisive study adds a new dimension to discussions of Egypt's nationalist response to the phenomenon of colonialism as well as to discussions of colonialism and nationalism in general. Eve M. Troutt Powell challenges many accepted tenets of the binary relationship between European empires and non-European colonies by examining the triangle of colonialism marked by Great Britain, Egypt, and the Sudan. She demonstrates how central the issue of the Sudan was to Egyptian nationalism and highlights the deep ambivalence in Egyptian attitudes toward empire and the resulting ambiguities and paradoxes that were an essential component of the nationalist movement. A Different Shade of Colonialism enriches our understanding of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Egyptian attitudes toward slavery and race and expands our perspective of the "colonized colonizer." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Sudan 1980s
This book focuses on the conflicting interpretations by Egyptian, Sudanese and European writers of the history of the Nile Valley during four periods: Egypt's rule in the Sudan, 1821-85; the Mahdist state, 1885-98; the struggle for independence, 1952-5; and finally the Sudan's civil war between the dominant Muslim North and the non-Muslim South since 1955. The sources are primarily Egyptian and Sudanese, European eye-witness accounts being limited to periods when Britain played a dominant role in the Nile Valley. Egypt's quest for the "Unity of the Nile Valley" led to that unity being portrayed in Egyptian historical writings as the natural outcome of geographic, economic and cultural factors. Her expansion, at the behest of her weak and primitive southern neighbor, bringing progress and civilization to the Sudan, became part of that legacy. Both the Mahdist revolt and the Condominium were portrayed by Egyptian writers as unwelcome interruptions of that unity and blamed primarily on British imperialism. Unity remained a central theme in Egypt's historical legacy. Sudanese writings on the same periods present a fascinating puzzle. Their assessment of Egypt's contribution to the Sudan's progress is on the whole negative and portrays Egypt's legacy in the Upper Nile Valley as one of colonialism, not unlike that of Britain in the twentieth century. The Mahdiyya, on the other hand, is viewed from Khartoum as an Islamic protest against foreign rule and credited with proto-nationalist aims, leading to independence. The story becomes even more involved in the twentieth century. Egyptian politicians and historians regarded unity as an inseparable part of their anti-colonial struggle. Why then did the Sudan opt for independence rather than unity in 1955? The answer, as indicated convincingly in this study, was the inevitable outcome of the deep suspicions felt by most Sudanese towards their strong and dominating neighbor. The final part of the book concentrates on the Sudan internal conflicts. CONTENTS: Preface and Acknowledgements; Note on Transliteration; Pt. I The Turco-Egyptian Sudan and the Mahdiyya; 1 Historical Introduction 1; 2 European Writings on Nineteenth-Century Sudan 13; 3 Egyptian Writings on Nineteenth-Century Sudan 19; Nineteenth-Century Historians 19; Pre-Revolutionary Historians 24; Post-Revolutionary Historians 30; 4 Sudanese Writings on Nineteenth-Century Sudan 37; The Turco-Egyptian Sudan 37; The Mahdist State, 1881-1898 42; 5 Conclusion 56; Pt. II Independence Or Unity, 1952-1955; 6 Historical Background 62; 7 Some Views From Cairo 69; 8 British Views from Khartoum and London 82; 9 Views From the Sudan 96; The Unionist Outlook 96; The Pro-Independence View 107; Other Sudanese Views 114; 10 Conclusion 120; Pt. III Mutual Perceptions of Northern and Southern Sudanese; 11 Historical Background 125; 12 The South as viewed by Political and Religious Leaders 139; Some Views of Northern Sudanese 139; Some Views of Southern Sudanese 147; 13 Contemporary Sudanese Scholars view their country's Conflict and Future Prospects 154; 14 Mutual Perceptions expressed in Literature 169; 15 Conclusion 186; Bibliography: In European Languages 193; Bibliography: In Arabic 198. ... Read more

Product Description
Flora Shaw, Lady Lugard (1852-1929) was the first female reporter for The Times, and colonial editor from 1893 to 1900. She travelled widely, and wrote hundreds of articles promoting the British Empire and in favour of its expansion as a world power. She became very involved in South African politics as a friend of Cecil Rhodes, and in 1897 coined the name 'Nigeria' for the colony under the administration of the Royal Niger Company. In 1902 she married Sir Frederick Lugard, then High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria. In 1905 she published A Tropical Dependency, her most extensive work. Although expressing views which assume European superiority, she stressed the fact that the vast majority of the British Empire was not white, and the book is valuable for its information on pre-colonial northern Africa. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=shawfl ... Read more

Product Description
A dictionary containing over 1900 biographical notices of Sudanese and foreign persons who died before 1948. ... Read more

Product Description
Originating from the 2008 27th annual conference of the Sudan Studies Association (SSA) of the same title, these essays document and analyze Sudan's chronic history of conflict since independence in 1956 as well its own and international efforts to bring an end to these conflicts. As the country moves toward what some see as the inevitable separation of South Sudan in 2011 honoring the principle of self-determination long fought for by southerners, the lessons of six decades of a history of war and peace agreements is both telling and compelling. This analysis is offered by the real experts on Sudan rather than the usual story offered by journalists and pundits. In addition to an Introduction by the editors, all founders or current or past presidents of the SSA, the essays by Sudanese and non-Sudanese explore the often bitter history of North-South relations and loss of life leading to consideration of a range of options from a continuation of national unity under revised terms, to federation or redivision, to full separation of the South and the constitution of a new African state.The role of the Khartoum government 's pursuit of policies of islamization and Islamism for a quarter century across multiple regimes is also treated. The central question of constructing a sustainable peace, irrespective of the outcome in 2011, is detailed along with the essential consideration of women and gender perspectives to sustain any peace negotiated. This book is must reading in advance of, or in response to, the crucial events as they unfold in Sudan in 2011 and beyond. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1898, Kitchener's Anglo-Egyptian army defeated the armies of dervishes at the battle of Omdurman. To commemorate the event, 11 historians have produced a reappraisal of the reconquest and its international repercussions. They examine some of the policies, personalities and issues involved. ... Read more

Product Description
Why another study of Islam and politics in Sudan? The unique history of Sudan's Islamic politics suggests the answer. The revolt in 1881 was led by a Mahdi who came to renew and purify Islam. It was in effect an uprising against a corrupt Islamic regime, the largely alien Turco-Egyptian ruling elite. The Mahdiyya was therefore an anti-colonial movement, seeking to liberate Sudan from alien rule and to unify the Muslim Umma, and it later evolved into the first expression of Sudanese nationalism and statehood. Post-independence Islamic radicalism, in turn, can be viewed against the background of the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium (1899-1956). It also thrived as a result of the resurgence of Islam since the mid-1960s, when Nasserism and other popular ideologies were swept aside. Finally, Sudan has emerged as the centre of militancy in Sunni Islam since June 1989, when a group of radical Islamic officers, under the guidance of Dr Hassan al-Turabi and the NIF, assumed power.In Warburg's view, the determination to enforce an Islamic state and an Islamic constitution on a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society has led to prolonged civil war, endless military coups and political, social and economic bankruptcy. ... Read more

Product Description
This third edition of "The Historical Dictionary of the Sudan" focuses on the Sudan in Islamic times from the 14th century to the present. There is more on the sultanates of Sinnar and Dar Fur, the Mahdiya, and the history of Islam in the Sudan, especially the chronology and analysis of significant events of the past decade, which has seen a radical Islamist movement in power in Khartoum. The revised Bibliography contains new sections built upon the recent proliferation of literature on women in the Sudan, minority and human rights, Islamism, opposition movements, and refugees and exiles from the Sudan. Comprehensive reference and research tool for undergraduate students and generalist researchers. ... Read more

Product Description
The principal text translated in this volume is the "Ta'rikh Al'sudan" of the 17th century Timbuktu scholar 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di. Thirty chapters are included, dealing with the history of Timbuktu and Jenne, their scholars and the political history of the Songhay empire from the reign of Sunni 'Ali (1464-1492) through Moroccan conquest of Songhay in 1591 and down to the year 1613 when the Pashalik of Timbuktu became an autonomous ruling institution in the Middle Niger region. The year 1613 also marked the effective end of Songhay resistance. The other contemporary documents included are a new English translation of Leo Africanus's description of West Africa, some letters relating to Sa-dian diplomacy and conquests in the Sahara and Sahel, al-Ifrani's account of Sa-dian conquest of Songhay, and an account of this expedition by an anonymous Spaniard. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A must for West African historians who can't read Arabic
Even though I have the Arabic text on order Es sadi's "Tarikh Es Sudan" ("History of the Land of the Blacks") in English is a good resource for those don't read Arabic or French.For most people the book will be one of finding snippets here and there during historical research and the footnotes are a good help in connecting the history with other events to which they are linked.As another reviewer mentioned this is not exactly one of those books you read from cover to finish.You also have to adjust to having to use the notes quite a bit, but that is not the fault of John O. Hunwick, but is how the Tarikh es-Soudan is in Arabic.The book has good maps and supporting texts to add to the text.I would suggest that every person wanting to get a clear picture from West African and Arab sources about some of the events that led to the Songhay empire's rise and fall this is a goo resource for that.

Missing Link to West African History
Es sadi's "Tarikh Es Sudan" ("History of the Land of the Blacks") has obtained a legendary staus among those interested in African history. It was written after the fall of the Songhay Empire in the 1600s about the kings and events leading up to that event, and no English translations have been available until now, thanks to Dr. John O. Hunwick of Northwestern University.

The result is an interesting narrative with a cast of characters that include some familiar names to African history fans such as Mansa Musa, Sunni Ali (referred to in this book as "the tyrant"), Askia Muhammad, and the scholar Ahmed Baba, as well as many more obscure historical figues and events. (Surprisingly, Sundiata the original Lion King is only mentioned in passing in a footnote).

However, the casual reader with a beginning knowledge of Ancient Africna history should be warned that this is not for beginners or lay historians. Dr. Hunwick, in a noble effort to make this understandable, fills the text with footnotes and phonetic pronunciation of the Islamic names and concepts. Plus, the original language of the text is quite labored for the casual reader and while Dr. Hunwick tries with this, it's still a pretty rough read for the beginner.

For the avid African historian, this is great stuff which is filled new and important information. The layman may want to start with such things as the recent translation of Ibn Battuta's accounts of his travels in precolonial Africa or D.T. Niane's account of the Sundiata epic (as well as reading the Quaran) to get a feel for this kind of material before moving on to this. Also, it is important to know that the Islamic writers of that era (Middle Ages) were very ethnocentic and scornful of pre-Islamic African cultures, so be prepared for that kind of bias.

But with all that said, go for it. It's an extremely valuable piece of history. ... Read more

Product Description
Much recent work on the history of colonial medicine argues that medicine was the handmaiden of colonial power and of capitalism.Dr Bell challenges this interpretation through careful investigation of the complicated relationship between medicine, politics, and capital in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. This book includes chapters on midwifery training and female circumcision, on health and racial ideology, and on the quest to find the yellow fever virus in East Africa. ... Read more

Product Description
Images of the genocide in Darfur have shocked the Western world: Upwards of 300,000 of its inhabitants have died, and another 2.5 million have become refugees. Those affected by the violence are estimated at almost 4 million, 700,000 of whom are now beyond the reach of humanitarian assistance. These are staggering numbers, and the fractious insurgent groups involved--Islamist Arab tribal militias against Christian black Africans and other militias made up of deserters of the Chad Army--were and still are supported to kill, rob, and terrorize by the governments of the neighboring states of the Sudan, Chad, and Libya. These are the consequences of a decades-long war, as J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins explained in their earlier book, Africa’s Thirty Years War: Libya, Chad, and the Sudan, 1963–1993. The Long Road to Disaster in Darfur updates this study and covers the events of the last thirteen years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fascinating examination
This book examines the background of the genocide in the Sudan by examining the history of Chad's relations with Libya.Libya inserted itself in African politics in the 1980s and began a major degree of meddling in Sub-Saharan Africa, training revolutionaries and rebels such as Charles Taylor.Increasingly it involved itself in Chad and Chad became a brooding ground and testing ground for Arab Islamist militias persecuting indigenous Africans and Christians.This was a viscious recipe and it eventually led to the problems across the border in Darfur where similar rivalries based on race, religion and tribe ignited a genocide, backed by Khartoum.

A fascinating history and a new perspective.

Seth J. Frantzman

Back Cover Text
Images of the genocide in Darfur have shocked the Western world: Upwards of 300,000 of its inhabitants have died, and another 2.5 million have become refugees. Those affected by the violence are estimated at almost 4 million, 700,000 of whom are now beyond the reach of humanitarian assistance. These are staggering numbers, and the fractious insurgent groups involved-- Islamist Arab tribal militias against Christian black Africans and other militias made up of deserters of the Chad Army--were and still are supported to kill, rob, and terrorize by the governments of the neighboring states of the Sudan, Chad, and Libya.
These are the consequences of a decades-long war, as J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins explained in their earlier book, Africa's Thirty Years War: Libya, Chad, and the Sudan, 1963-1993. The Long Road to Disaster in Darfur updates this study and covers the events of the last thirteen years.

Reviews of Africa's Thirty Years War
"A lively detailed and informative study...The authors consider ethnic, religious, cultural, technological,geographic, and meteorological variables and present brief enlightening political portraits of the stories' protagonists. Historically situating the war within the struggle for supremacy along the borders of the Islamic world, the book seeks to explain why so many governments invested so much for so long in the control of such seemingly worthless expanses of sand and rock."
--Foreign Affairs

"This is a fine work, well documented and well argued, and convincing."--Journal of Military History

"This fascinating study combines analytical depth with accessible lucidity. It should be essential reading for any student of African history and politics." --African Studies Review

"...a timely, useful contribution. ... The volume is replete with meticulous detail. ...well documented and lucidly written...useful for years to come." --International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies ... Read more

Product Description
Gordon at Khartoum, the Charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman and other famous episodes of British military history took place against the backdrop of the Mahdist state in the Sudan. For nearly 20 years the Dervishes (or “Ansar” as they preferred to be called) and their visionary Muslim empire fought the European powers to a standstill. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Interesting subject by bad writer
First off I am not a book critic. My immediate observations about this book are that it is;
poorly written, disjointed, rambling, with a smattering of incoherent sentence structures that leaves you wondering just what he is talking about
. At times a jolly good read if you could deduce where they are and how they got there at any given time. What date it is anyway! What came first? Did, this chap die 20 pages ago or not?Most of the places mentioned are not on the map. (You will need a magnifying glass to read it) There is scant little development on the main participants and too much information on minor officers and men who die at a particular battle but have never been mentioned at all before.
There may be some good history here but you will need to keep a scorecard ready to follow any chronological order.It seems clear that a good ( OBJECTIVE) book on this subject could not be accomplished in less then 700 pages.

A Military History of the 19th Century Mahdists in the Sudan
The book is fairly short and is illustrated with some black and white plates of the Mahdi, Slatin and the young Winston Churchill (slightly blurred) and a few small maps of the area and one or two of the main battles. It largely deals with the rise to power and eventual downfall of the religious and political leader termed the 'Mahdi' in late-19th century Sudan. It focuses particularly on military matters and uses some original sources including the diaries of British army officers involved in the fighting, plus some autobiographies and other writings such as that of Wingate, Slatin and of Fr Ohrwalder, an Austrian missionary captured by the Mahdists and imprisoned in their camp. The descriptions of the conditions and of the various battles are vivid and the author has tried to paint a balanced view, but also gives much detail of the routes followed by the armies and of the tactics employed. I thought that it also had fascinating detail on how the Mahdi became influential and the mistakes made by his adversaries. It is undoubtedly less detailed than some books on the Mahdist era, and the description of the final battle at Omdurman was less of a dramatic climax than I had expected. Overall it is good value for the price and was an interesting read.

Civil War in the Sudan in the 1880s and 1890s.
As the recent conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq show, the West has had to confront Islamic fundamentalism throughout its history.In the 1880s, the Mahdi rose to prominence as the hidden Iman and confronted both British and Egyptian Imperialism in the Sudan.The British Prime Minister withdrew from the region rather than confront the threat.For close to 15 years, most of the Sudan was ruled by the Mahdi and his successor Khalifa.During those years, many atrocities were committed in the Sudan including slavery and cruel punishment for those who didn't believe.When Britain decided to re-engage in the Sudan, it was only because the French were exploring the area.This is the jist of Warner's book.
As one of the previous reviewers has already noted, this book is a Western perspective and so perhaps is the slant on the cause of the Mahdi.The military campaigns were well detailed, but there is too little perspective from the other side.This is the only criticism of this book.

Could Have Been Better
This book covers one of the more fascinating events of the 19th century--the rise of the Sudanese Mahdist Empire--solely in the terms of the series of Anglo-Egyptian expeditions to crush it.While one-sided histories aren't always bad, this one just sort of falls flat.There are better sources on the Mahdists and I'd recommend looking over this one unless you are solely interested in the military aspects [the British ones].The maps were also of little use as they were zoomed out so much that the book's locales are hardly distinguishable--despite them being divided by great distances!

The West vs Islam in a Different Era
The West has fought with Islamic fundamentalists before: in the Sudan in between about 1880 and 1998.This book tells that story.As general history it's OK but for the military detail it is somewhat lacking.There is also an annoying tendancy to a Tarentino-esque timeline.Great in Pulp Fiction (and Lord of the Rings as it happens) but well executed in this case.Many of the big names of WW1 got their start in this ugly series of wars.Logistics reigned supreme and tactics were relegated to frontal attacks along lines of communication. ... Read more

Product Description
Contributors:
Issam A. Abdel Hafiez;
Musa Adam Abdul-Jalil;
Abaker Mohamed Abuelbashar;
Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf;
Eric Kofi Acree;
Ali B. Ali Dinar;
Munzoul A.M. Assal;
Alex de Waal;
Atta El-Battahani;
Kamal El-Gizouli;
Abdel Monim Elgak;
Abdullahi Osman El-Tom;
Grant Farred;
Adrienne Fricke;
Fahima A. Hashim;
Salah M. Hassan;
Amira Khair;
Mansour Khalid;
Mahmood Mamdani;
Carina E. Ray;
Karin Willemse;
Benaiah Yongo-Bure;
Al-Tayib Zain Al-Abdin

The ongoing conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur has received unprecedented attention from the international media and human rights organizations, and it has captured the attention of millions of people around the world. Those seeking to learn about the conflict, as well as those who have reported on it, often rely on information produced by the various organizations that are addressing the humanitarian crises spawned by the conflict. In turn, most coverage of the Darfur crisis provides only a cursory understanding of the historical, economic, political, sociological, and environmental factors that contribute to the conflict. Moreover, the perspectives of the people of Darfur and the Sudan have not been adequately heard. As a result, Sudanese civil society's active engagement in resolving the country's problems goes unrecognized.

Darfur and the Crisis of Governance in Sudan remedies this situation by bringing together a diverse group of contributors from Sudan and beyond--scholars, activists, NGO and aid workers, members of government and the Darfurian rebel movements, and artists--who share a deep knowledge of the situation in Darfur and Sudan. Together, they provide the most comprehensive, balanced, and nuanced account yet published of the conflict's roots and the contemporary realities that shape the experiences of those living in the region. The cross-disciplinary dialogue fostered by Salah M. Hassan and Carina E. Ray yields a comprehensive understanding of the causes, manifestations, and implications of the ongoing conflict. Many of the contributors emphasize that despite the international attention Darfur has received, it is those within Darfur and Sudan--both in preexisting organizations and in newly formed alliances--who have taken the lead in seeking local solutions.

This book features a portfolio of affecting full-color photographs of daily life in Darfur by the acclaimed photographer Issam A. Abdelhafiez and, significantly, an extensive appendix of official local and international documents about the conflict--laws, decrees, resolutions, reports, and governmental statements--that have shaped both the crisis and its global perception. Collected here for the first time, these documents are invaluable as primary sources for researchers, students, activists, NGOs, and anyone else trying to understand the complexities of the crisis. ... Read more