Independence happened at midnight. Statehood and sovereignty will take decades more.
For South Sudan this is as much opportunity as it is challenge. Sudan was not working for the South, which is fortunate indeed to have an opportunity now to make its own future. The development challenges are obvious: Africa’s newest country is also one of its poorest and most illiterate. Oil, which it has in abundance, is not necessarily a cure–more resource-rich countries fail at serious development than succeed.
But in addition to its development problems, South Sudan faces serious challenges to its statehood and sovereignty:
No new country is born without challenges. South Sudan may have more than its share, but it also has great advantages: most of its population is delighted with independence, it has oil, and quick recognition and admission to the UN seem assured. It also has the good wishes of most of the world, most especially the United States, which has provided a lot of support.
Time to get on with the hard part: achieving sovereignty and building the state. Maybe that’s the answer to “what is the what?”
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