THE WAR THAT DOESN'T SAY ITS NAME, the unending conflict in the Congo

310pp., maps, paperback, Reprint, Princeton, (2021) 2023

Jason Stearns on the most recent phase of the military conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now into its third decade, and why the peace deal of 2003, accompanied by the largest UN peacekeeping mission in the world and tens of billions in international aid, has failed to stop the violence that has killed millions of people.

“This 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.” Will Reno, author of Warfare in Independent Africa

“With great clarity and insight, Jason Stearns explains how, despite its best intentions, the post–Cold War liberal model of peacemaking sometimes contributes to the persistence of unrest and violence. A fascinating and eye-opening account of the Congolese conflict - and what it signals for the future of conflict in general.” Stathis Kalyvas, author of The Logic of Violence in Civil War

Jason K. Stearns is 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.