The Diplomatic Missteps That Fed Sudan's Slide to Civil War

An ex-CIA and State Department officials explains what went wrong

I started covering US-Sudan policy as a young journalist in DC nearly 20 years ago. At the time, the government of Sudan was fighting an insurgency in Darfur in the far-western region of the country. The government’s tactics were particularly brutal and deliberately targeted the civilian population in a manner highly consistent with the crime of genocide.

The big policy debate in Washington was between those who advocated behind-the-scenes cajoling vs more robust and high profile action. Deep in the mix of these policy debates was my guest today Cameron Hudson. He’s a longtime Sudan policy hand with stints at the CIA, State Department and think tank circuit. He was the perfect guest to help explain Sudan’s slide into civil war in the context of decades of failed international diplomacy towards the region.

This episode will help you better understand the conflict dynamics driving the fighting in Sudan today and the concrete mistakes made by the United States and other key international…