The crisis in Darfur has led to systemic and widespread murder, rape, and abduction, as well as the forced displacement of millions of civilians. It presents a defining moral challenge to the world. "The World and Darfur" brings together genocide scholars from a range of disciplines - social history, art history, military history, African studies, media studies, literature, political science, sociology - to provide a cohesive and nuanced understanding of the international response to the crisis in Western Sudan. Contributing authors, including Eric Reeves, Frank Chalk, Eric Markusen, and Samuel Totten, look at the lessons learned from the United Nations failure to intervene during the Rwandan genocide, the representation of Darfur in the mainstream media, atrocity investigations, activist and NGO campaigns, art exhibitions and political rhetoric, and the role of the international community in the discourse of genocide prevention and intervention. A common theme is the succession of political, bureaucratic, and informational barriers that have prevented the international community from staging effective action to quell the crimes against humanity in Darfur.
The situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate and it is clear that the current UN peacekeeping mission is woefully inadequate for civilian protection. An effective genocide prevention campaign depends on international response and public will. "The World and Darfur" is an important part of this dialogue, providing valuable insights for scholars, human rights activists, and the concerned general public. Contributors include Major Brent Beardsley (Royal Canadian Regiment of the Canadian Army), Gerald Caplan (independent scholar, policy analyst, and political activist), Frank Chalk (Concordia University), Amanda Grzyb (University of Western Ontario), Danielle Kelton (master's candidate, University of Southern California), H. Peter Langille (University of Western Ontario), Daniel Listoe (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee), Eric Markusen (Southwest Minnesota State University), Eric Reeves (Smith College), Carla Rose Shapiro (postdoctoral fellow, University of Toronto), and Samuel Totten (University of Arkansas).