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David Renton, David Seddon, and Leo Zeilig. The Congo: Plunder and Resistance. London and New York: Zed Books, 2007. Distributed in the U.S. by Palgrave MacMillan. vii + 243 pp. Maps. Notes. Index. $99.00. Cloth. $31.00. Paper.
Renton, Seddon, and Zeilig's book offers an economic analysis as well as a politically committed and radical perspective. It focuses on the relationship between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the former Zaire) and the capitalist West; its main thesis is that Congo has been the target of systematic plundering of mineral resources since its encounter with Belgium and the Western world in the late nineteenth century. Such pillage benefits Western capitalism and is the root of abuses committed during colonization. The authors add that access to African raw materials is the reason for recent wars (1998-2004) which, according to the estimates of the International Rescue Committee, have claimed close to four million victims. To support their main thesis, the authors consider topics such as abuses committed in rubber production during...