Pamphlet on an Experiment in development banking in the Sudan - explores ways in which development banks can contribute towards the reduction of financial barriers to industrial development, etc. Bibliography pp. 57 to 59, graphs, references and statistical tables.

The purpose of this volume is to focus attention on the economic and political development of the Sudan, to describe the progress and problems encountered in this development process, and to bring into a single book a comprehensive consideration of the situation in the Sudan. In terms of land area the Sudan is the largest nation in Africa, and one of the most sparsely populated countries in Africa. The Sudan enjoys a strategic location, commanding part of the Red Sea approach to the Suez Canal, and lying in close proximity to the rapidly growing Middle Eastern markets. Complementary aspects of food supply in the Sudan and the Middle East - the Sudan with its potential surplus - the Middle East with its needs - suggest a dynamic export growth pattern in the future.

By the mid-1980s, Sudan’s economy, society and political framework were on the point of disintegration. Civil war was exacerbating the effects of an already major famine. An unpopular government was resorting to ever more extreme measures in order to remain in power. The imposition of a particularly oppressive and hash interpretation of sharia law was heightening racial and religious tensions. Internationally, Sudan was faced by a debt crisis which was apparently insoluble, and which threatened to undermine completely what was left of the economy. This book, first published in 1988, examines the complex economic and social processes which led to this situation – emphasising the part played by the state itself. The book combines detailed multi-disciplinary analyses of Sudan in the post-colonial era with a consideration of possibilities for the future.

The third edition focuses on the period following the rise of Islam in the Sudan in the 14th century (the earlier period will appear in a forthcoming volume on Ancient Nubia), with extensive coverage of political events since the civil war and establishment of Islamic Shari'a law in 1983 and the radical Islamic movements of the 1990s. In addition to the dictionary itself, a chronology, maps, and lengthy (44-page) introduction to the history of the Sudan are provided. Two of the authors teach anthropology at Rhode Island College, the third teaches African and Middle Eastern History at St. Norbert College. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.