A Rope from the Sky
The Making and Unmaking of the World's Newest State
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The untold story of America's attempt to forge a nation from scratch, from euphoric birth to heart-wrenching collapse.
South Sudan's independence was celebrated around the world—a triumph for global justice and an end to one of the world's most devastating wars. But the party would not last long: South Sudan's freedom fighters soon plunged their new nation into chaos, shattering the promise of liberation and exposing the hubris of their foreign backers.
Chronicling extraordinary stories of hope, identity, and survival, A Rope from the Sky journeys inside an epic tale of paradise won and then lost. This character-driven narrative is first a story of power, promise, greed, compassion, violence, and redemption from the world's most neglected patch of territory. But it is also a story about the best and worst of America—both its big-hearted ideals and its difficult reckoning with the limits of American power amid a changing global landscape.
Zach's Vertin's firsthand acounts, from deadly war zones to the halls of Washington power, brings readers inside this remarkable episode—an unprecedented experiment in state-building and a cautionary tale. It is brilliant and breathtaking, a moder-day Greek tragedy that will challenge our perspectives on global politics.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vertin, a former NGO analyst and adviser to the U.S. special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, brings an insider's knowledge to this gripping, well-written account of South Sudan: its independence from Sudan in 2011, its descent into a brutal civil war, and ongoing international efforts to mediate an end to that war. Based on more than 100 interviews, the story follows such major personalities as South Sudan's first president Salva Kiir, deposed vice president Riek Machar, other Sudan People's Liberation Movement government notables, and foreign dignitaries. Especially cogent is Vertin's analysis of the decades-long, unwavering, and largely uncritical support for the SPLM from American evangelicals, the Congressional Black Caucus, advocacy groups, and proponents of "drop-in Hollywood activism" like George Clooney, a visible supporter of the Darfur campaign and South Sudan secession movement. He observes that the SPLM has been weakened by "factionalism, narrow self-interest, and a lack of direction" and recounts the five-year-long and counting struggle among former SPLM allies. The inclusion of stories from ordinary people the author came to know over his time in South Sudan rounds out the book and makes it much more nuanced. This work will appeal to the general reader interested in African politics, conflict resolution, and international diplomacy.
