Well into its third decade, the military conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been dubbed a 鈥渇orever war鈥濃�攁 perpetual cycle of war, civil unrest, and local feuds over power and identity. Millions have died in one of the worst humanitarian calamities of our time. The War That Doesn鈥檛 Say Its Name investigates the most recent phase of this conflict, asking why the peace deal of 2003鈥攁ccompanied by the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission in the world and tens of billions in international aid鈥攈as failed to stop the violence. Jason Stearns argues that the fighting has become an end in itself, carried forward in substantial part through the apathy and complicity of local and international actors.
Stearns shows that regardless of the suffering, there has emerged a narrow military bourgeoisie of commanders and politicians for whom the conflict is a source of survival, dignity, and profit. Foreign donors provide food and urgent health care for millions, preventing the Congolese state from collapsing, but this involvement has not yielded transformational change. Stearns gives a detailed historical account of this period, focusing on the main players鈥擟ongolese and Rwandan states and the main armed groups. He extrapolates from these dynamics to other conflicts across Africa and presents a theory of conflict that highlights the interests of the belligerents and the social structures from which they arise.
Exploring how violence in the Congo has become preoccupied with its own reproduction, The War That Doesn’t Say Its Name sheds light on why certain military feuds persist without resolution.
Awards and Recognition
- Shortlisted for the Conflict Research Society Book Award
Jason K. Stearns is an assistant professor in the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University and the founder and director of the Congo Research Group at New York University. He is the author of Dancing in the Glory of Monsters. He lives in Vancouver, Canada. Twitter @jasonkstearns
"[Stearns] makes a convincing case that the violence has been sustained by a 鈥榤ilitary bourgeoisie鈥� that benefits from instability by plundering natural resources and foreign aid."鈥擭icolas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs
"There should be more conceptual books on this topic, and this is one of them. Haven鈥檛 you wondered why this war drags on for decades, without resolution? Start your quest for an answer here."鈥擳yler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
鈥淲ith great clarity and insight, Jason Stearns explains how, despite its best intentions, the post鈥揅old War liberal model of peacemaking sometimes contributes to the persistence of unrest and violence. A fascinating and eye-opening account of the Congolese conflict鈥攁nd what it signals for the future of conflict in general.鈥濃�擲tathis Kalyvas, author of The Logic of Violence in Civil War
鈥淎 tour de force on the Congo鈥檚 forever war by one of the world鈥檚 leading experts on violence. This book is dripping with intimate details and bold arguments that reflect Jason Stearns鈥檚 extensive engagement with the Congo. Stearns upends conventional wisdom while offering a nuanced and detailed take on a struggle that can often appear indecipherable. Penetrating, perceptive, and deeply personal, this book is a model for engaged and compassionate research on one of the world鈥檚 most intractable conflicts.鈥濃�擹achariah Mampilly, author of Rebel Rulers: Insurgent Governance and Civilian Life during War
鈥淭his masterful book substantially advances the understanding of long-running conflicts like that in the eastern Congo as a social phenomenon and is one of the very few fieldwork-based investigations into the inner workings of the main armed groups in the Congo's conflict. Stearns provides unique insight into how these armed groups work, including a fascinating analysis of how they adapt to the context around them as they pursue interests in prolonging insecurity and uncertainty. This book will considerably advance the growing field of research on civil wars.鈥濃�擶ill Reno, author of Warfare in Independent Africa
"Jason Stearns has written a fascinating and detailed account of how and why the war in the Congo has endured. The War That Doesn't Say Its Name combines a deep study of the conflict with an important set of broader implications for successfully building peace."鈥擯aul Staniland, author of Networks of Rebellion: Explaining Insurgent Cohesion and Collapse
