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The Impact of Economic Activism on Asian national Oil Companies in Sudan


New article from Luke Patey in Journal of Modern African Studies

 

Luke A. Patey, Against the Asian Tide: The Sudan Divestment Campaign. The Journal of Modern African Studies (2009). Vol. 47, pp. 551-573.  

Abstract
The efforts of American activists to pressure Asian corporations in Sudan have to date resembled a struggle to find the light switch in the dark, or swimming against a strong current. While the impact of the divestment campaign in the United States has been increasingly evident, its effectiveness in producing actual results in Sudan remains suspect. Thanks to China and a trio of Asian national oil companies, oil still flows in Sudan. The campaign's activities have failed to incorporate Sudan's wider international political and economic relations into its strategy. It has rather paradoxically sought to pressure state-owned corporations through financial market divestment. The nature of its Asian targets, reluctant Western investors and a distracted American government have obstructed the campaign from having a resounding impact in Sudan.

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Updated: 20/11/09