The D.R.C.

Wow, a major press has done an extensive article on the ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo. I keep wondering why one never hears about the situation there. This is literally the world's largest humanitarian crisis; millions have died, millions have fled, and millions remain living in abject poverty. While in Zambia in 2004, I met some of those who had fled. Here's a great book on the DRC. It's well-written, and does a good job laying out the history. Most people don't realize it, but strictly in terms of natural resources, the DRC is fantastically rich. In recent times, it's all about the tantalum, baby, as they say.