Posted on behalf of Sarah Barga

Alex de Waal makes a compelling argument for the possibility of the underground lake found in the northern part of Darfur as having negative effects. It is easy to look at the situation at arms length, or from the outside and think that the water reserves would have positive impact, but as we look closer at this issue we see that political instability plays a key role in determining what the outcome of the water reserves would be. De Waal presents information that is necessary to consider, especially for those of us who are not as familiar with the current situation. Alex successfully breaks down the situation into parts so that it is less overwhelming to analyze and does not solely argue that water resources will have a negative effect, he also looks into what would need to happen in order for the new found water to positively effect the people of Darfur.