Article in Brown Journal of World Affairs

I have an article in the most recent issue of The Brown Journal of World Affairs (fall/winter 2009) titled "China and the Conflict in Darfur" (so far, the electronic version is only limited access). It looks at China’s policy in Sudan generally and with specific reference to the crisis in Darfur since 2003. It concludes that China, after initially failing to appreciate the potential negative implications of its support for Sudan, eventually balanced successfully its interests in the country against the criticism that it received from the West. China minimized the damage to its overall image by closely aligning its position on key Darfur decisions with those of the African Union and a vast majority of African and Arab countries. China preserved its political and economic interests in Sudan and eventually won grudging acceptance from the United States government for its more recent policy in Darfur. One outstanding question is whether China’s actions on Darfur set a precedent for possible future interference in African internal political affairs.