Blood, Dreams and Gold: The Changing Face of Burma

Burma is one of the largest countries in Southeast Asia and was once one of its richest. Under successive military regimes, however, the country eventually ended up as one of the poorest countries in Asia, a byword for repression and ethnic violence. Richard Cockett spent years in the region as a correspondent for The Economist and witnessed firsthand the vicious sectarian politics of the Burmese government, and later, also, its surprising attempts at political and social reform.

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Cockettandrsquo;s enlightening history, from the colonial era on, explains how Burma descended into decades of civil war and authoritarian government. Taking advantage of the opening up of the country since 2011, Cockett has interviewed hundreds of former political prisoners, guerilla fighters, ministers, monks, and others to give a vivid account of life under one of the most brutal regimes in the world. In many cases, this is the first time that theyand#160;have been able toand#160;tell their stories to the outside world. Cockett also explains why the regime has started to reform, and why these reforms will not go as far as many people had hoped. This is the most rounded survey to date of this volatile Asian nation.

andlsquo;In this informative, eminently readable history and analysis of Sudanandrsquo;s failure as a state, Cockett draws on interviews with many of the main players. There is plenty of blame to go around, he says, citing and#39;meddling western politicians, over-simplifying activists, spineless African leaders, shamelessly silent Muslim countries andhellip; and myopic Sudanese politiciansand#39;.andrsquo;andmdash;The Guardianandnbsp;

and#8220;and#8230;well-researched, beautifully written and thoroughly absorbing, despite the wrenching tragedies [this book] must chronicle.and#8221;and#8212;George Ayittey, The Wall Street Journal

"For those readers who know nothing more about the country than what is reported in the Western media, his book will be a revelation."and#8212;The Gunboat

The best single-volume analysis of Burma, its checkered history, and its attempts to reform
Burma is one of the largest countries in Southeast Asia and was once one of its richest. Under successive military regimes, however, the country eventually ended up as one of the poorest countries in Asia, a byword for repression and ethnic violence. Richard Cockett spent years in the region as a correspondent for The Economist and witnessed firsthand the vicious sectarian politics of the Burmese government, and later, also, its surprising attempts at political and social reform.
Cockett s enlightening history, from the colonial era on, explains how Burma descended into decades of civil war and authoritarian government. Taking advantage of the opening up of the country since 2011, Cockett has interviewed hundreds of former political prisoners, guerilla fighters, ministers, monks, and others to give a vivid account of life under one of the most brutal regimes in the world. In many cases, this is the first time that theyhave been able totell their stories to the outside world. Cockett also explains why the regime has started to reform, and why these reforms will not go as far as many people had hoped. This is the most rounded survey to date of this volatile Asian nation."

Over the past two decades, the situation in Africaand#8217;s largest country, Sudan, has progressively deteriorated: the country is in second position on the Failed States Index, a war in Darfur has claimed hundreds of thousands of deaths, President Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court, a forthcoming referendum on independence for Southern Sudan threatens to split the country violently apart.

In this fascinating and immensely readable book, the Africa editor of the Economist gives an absorbing account of Sudanand#8217;s descent into failure and what some have called genocide. Drawing on interviews with many of the main players, Richard Cockett explains how and why Sudan has disintegrated, looking in particular at the countryand#8217;s complex relationship with the wider world. He shows how the United States and Britain were initially complicit in Darfurand#8212;but also how a broad coalition of human-rights activists, right-wing Christians, and opponents of slavery succeeded in bringing the issues to prominence in the United States and creating an impetus for change at the highest level.

The best single-volume analysis of Burma, its checkered history, and its attempts to reform

Richard Cockett is Southeast Asia editor and correspondent at The Economist. He is the author of several books, the most recent being Sudan: Darfur and the Failure of an African State. He lives in London.