Anatomy of a Failed State: The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Recently there has been a surge in news reports concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Following a synopsis of three background articles on Africa, the paper provides an over-view of the DRC's vital statistics, followed by a brief review of the country's pre- and post-independence political history. The paper highlights the position of the DRC's minerals sector as global geopolitical tensions escalate, alongside the challenges posed by the ongoing global energy transition. While the paper describes the generic problems plaguing sub-Saharan Africa since its era of independence, the main focus of the paper is on the intractable issues confronting the DRC. Because of the ongoing failure of existing development programs in the region, the paper concludes with remarks on the need to consider alternative paths for economic growth in this increasingly important part of the world economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]