New Internationalist JUNE Issue 401 Darfur

‘God, how grim,’ is the most common reaction I’ve been getting when I tell people I’m doing a magazine on Darfur. Often followed by: ‘It’s just so awful – but there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do...’ This feeling of powerlessness in the face of extreme human suffering is unpleasant and upsetting; so we’re inclined to look away. The media’s portrayal of Darfur doesn’t help. Devoid of explanation and analysis, we are bombarded by harrowing images, left feeling shocked and confused. I can’t deny that putting this magazine together has been disturbing. Eager to help, my search for a simple solution to Darfur’s problems has nonetheless drawn a blank. Most people I’ve spoken to – Darfurian refugees, activists, humanitarian workers – have been downbeat about Darfur’s prospects, ground down by four years of banging their heads against a brick wall. But I’ve also found hope. Behind the horror stories lies a long history, a complex interplay between colonialism, injustice and the politics of the surrounding region. Understand this, and we can start to make sense of the current crisis.

CONTENTS

From this month’s editor

And I’ve encountered some extraordinarily courageous individuals who will never give up. Thanks to their relentless work, campaigns for Darfur are now blossoming all over the world. We owe it to the people of Darfur to take a long, unflinching look at their situation – and the part our countries have had in creating and perpetuating it. Then perhaps we can finally start to play an effective supporting role in their quest for peace.

Jess Worth for the

New Internationalist Co-operative jess@newint.org

4 Sick of promises Jess Worth encounters a Darfurian community that’s demanding answers.

8 Facts, timeline and map

10 War against women Femke van Zeijl on the devastation caused by rape.

13 Salaam Darfur Moataz El Fegiery and Ridwan Ziyada challenge the Arab world’s silence.

14 An African struggle African civil society is getting results, reports Dismas Nkunda.

16 Darfur: a history

18 Over a barrel Leben Nelson Moro on the curse of oil.

20 Don’t ignore Darfur How to take action.

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21 SPECIAL FEATURE What next? The future for the world can look bleak, dominated by technological and corporate power. But what if resistance to it won through? Pat Mooney tells a story illustrating how things might unfold differently between now and 2035.

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Regular Features

2 Letters Missed opportunities in Palestine; deficiencies of Homo sapiens; Baha’is and cinema in Iran. PLUS: Letter from Mauritius

25 Currents Scary booklist of the neocons; lesbian Palestinians breaking out; African cinema lion roars. PLUS: Wordpower and Seriously...

28 Big Bad World Extremism at large in Polyp’s cartoon PLUS: NI Prize Crossword

29 Making Waves A letter from inside prison by Iranian women’s rights campaigner Mahboubeh Hossein Zadeh.

30 Mixed Media Including stunning films from India and Aboriginal Australia, music from Mali and Cuba, plus novels about US Muslim punks and a deaf tapestry mender in Iran.

32 Southern Exposure A ghost town of sand, as seen by Namibian photographer Helga Kohl.

33 View from Abu Dhabi Urvashi Butalia on a cityscape of the future.

34 Essay: Myths of the Global Market how the free market destroys life, by John McMurtry.

36 Country Profile: Antigua & Barbuda

We welcome feedback on this or any other issue of New Internationalist. Please feel free to email your comments to feedback@newint.org.

Front cover photograph: Ton Koene/Still Pictures.

Magazine design: Andrew Kokotka. All monetary values are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted.