Jason Stearns
Encyclopedia
Jason K. Stearns is an American writer who worked for ten years in the Congo
, including three years during the Second Congo War
. He first traveled to the Congo in 2001 to work for a local human rights organization, Héritiers de la Justice, in Bukavu
. He went on to work for the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUC). In 2008 Stearns was named by the UN Secretary General to lead a special UN investigation into the violence in the country.
Stearns is the author of the book, Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa, and the blog, Congo Siasa. He is currently getting a Ph.D. in political science at Yale University
.
.
At the age of six, the family moved to Switzerland, where Stephen Stearns taught biology at the University of Basel. Stearns attended Swiss public school in Arlesheim and Muenchenstein, on the outskirts of Basel, and spent a year in Laja
, Chile, on an exchange program. Upon graduation from Gymnasium Muenchenstein, he volunteered at the Swiss Tropical Institute's field research station in Ifakara
, Tanzania.
In 1997, Jason joined his older brother in the United States, attending first Hampshire College
and then neighboring Amherst College
in Massachusetts. He graduated with a degree in political science. Having been accepted to law school at Harvard Law School
, he traveled to Bukavu
in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
to volunteer with Héritiers de la Justice, a local human rights group in September 2001. Deferring law school, he went on to work for the International Human Rights Law Group and the United Nations peacekeeping operation MONUC for the following two years. He eventually decided not to attend law school, enrolling in a PhD program in political science at Yale University in 2009.
Between 2005 and 2007, Stearns was based in Nairobi
, Kenya, as a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, working on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. In 2007, he left to spend a year and a half researching and writing Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, a history of the Congo wars of 1996-2003, based on interviews with leading protagonists of the conflict. The title stems from a speech given by Congolese President Laurent Kabila in which he castigates Congolese for blaming their woes on a few political leaders, suggesting that the political malaise in the country is a more systemic problem. The book, which was eventually published in 2011, received critical acclaim in major newspapers and magazines.
In 2008, Stearns was named as coordinator of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Congo, a panel responsible for researching support and financing of armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In their final report, the Group found both the Rwandan and Congolese governments guilty of violating United Nations sanctions. According to eyewitness testimony, phone records and other documentary evidence, the Rwandan government had provided military support to the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebel group, while the Congolese government had collaborated with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
(FDLR) rebels, as well as other Congolese armed groups.
Following the report, the Swedish and Danish government temporarily suspended aid to the Rwandan government. Several months after the publication of the report, the Rwandan government arrested the leader of the CNDP, Laurent Nkunda
, and struck a peace deal with the Congolese government.
In 2010, Stearns married Lusungu Kayani, a Tanzanian-American employee of the United Nations and a fashion and textile entrepreneur.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, including three years during the Second Congo War
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...
. He first traveled to the Congo in 2001 to work for a local human rights organization, Héritiers de la Justice, in Bukavu
Bukavu
Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo , lying at the extreme south-eastern extent of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda, and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the Sud-Kivu province and as of 2009 it had an estimated population of...
. He went on to work for the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUC). In 2008 Stearns was named by the UN Secretary General to lead a special UN investigation into the violence in the country.
Stearns is the author of the book, Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa, and the blog, Congo Siasa. He is currently getting a Ph.D. in political science at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Biography
Jason Stearns was born in San Francisco in 1976 to Stephen Stearns, an evolutionary biologist, and Bevery Stearns, a journalist. He has an older brother, Justin, who is professor of Middle Eastern history at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
At the age of six, the family moved to Switzerland, where Stephen Stearns taught biology at the University of Basel. Stearns attended Swiss public school in Arlesheim and Muenchenstein, on the outskirts of Basel, and spent a year in Laja
Laja
Laja is a location in the La Paz Department in Bolivia. It is the seat of the Laja Municipality, the second municipal section of the Los Andes Province.- References :*...
, Chile, on an exchange program. Upon graduation from Gymnasium Muenchenstein, he volunteered at the Swiss Tropical Institute's field research station in Ifakara
Ifakara
Ifakara is a small rural town in the Kilombero district, Morogoro region, south central Tanzania. It is the headquarter of the Kilombero district administration and the main trading centre for Kilombero and Ulanga districts...
, Tanzania.
In 1997, Jason joined his older brother in the United States, attending first Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
and then neighboring Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in Massachusetts. He graduated with a degree in political science. Having been accepted to law school at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, he traveled to Bukavu
Bukavu
Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo , lying at the extreme south-eastern extent of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda, and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the Sud-Kivu province and as of 2009 it had an estimated population of...
in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
to volunteer with Héritiers de la Justice, a local human rights group in September 2001. Deferring law school, he went on to work for the International Human Rights Law Group and the United Nations peacekeeping operation MONUC for the following two years. He eventually decided not to attend law school, enrolling in a PhD program in political science at Yale University in 2009.
Between 2005 and 2007, Stearns was based in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya, as a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, working on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. In 2007, he left to spend a year and a half researching and writing Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, a history of the Congo wars of 1996-2003, based on interviews with leading protagonists of the conflict. The title stems from a speech given by Congolese President Laurent Kabila in which he castigates Congolese for blaming their woes on a few political leaders, suggesting that the political malaise in the country is a more systemic problem. The book, which was eventually published in 2011, received critical acclaim in major newspapers and magazines.
In 2008, Stearns was named as coordinator of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Congo, a panel responsible for researching support and financing of armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In their final report, the Group found both the Rwandan and Congolese governments guilty of violating United Nations sanctions. According to eyewitness testimony, phone records and other documentary evidence, the Rwandan government had provided military support to the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebel group, while the Congolese government had collaborated with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is the primary remnant Rwandan Hutu Power rebel group in the east of the of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is often referred to as simply the FDLR after its original French name: the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda...
(FDLR) rebels, as well as other Congolese armed groups.
Following the report, the Swedish and Danish government temporarily suspended aid to the Rwandan government. Several months after the publication of the report, the Rwandan government arrested the leader of the CNDP, Laurent Nkunda
Laurent Nkunda
Laurent Nkunda or Laurent Nkundabatware, or Laurent Nkunda Batware, or as he prefers to be called The Chairman — is a former General in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is the former warlord operating in the province of Nord-Kivu, sympathetic to Congolese Tutsis and the...
, and struck a peace deal with the Congolese government.
In 2010, Stearns married Lusungu Kayani, a Tanzanian-American employee of the United Nations and a fashion and textile entrepreneur.
Books
- Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa. New York: Public Affairs, 2011. ISBN 978-1586489298
Articles
- Congo's Shocking Sexual Violence, The Daily Beast, October 17, 2010.
External links
- Congo Siasa blog
- Website for Dancing in the Glory of Monsters.
- Reviews of Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa (2011)
- Wall Street Journal Douglas Rogers, April 2, 2011
- New York Times Adam Hochschild, April 3, 2011
- Washington Post Robert Guest, April 22, 2011
- Foreign Affairs Nicholas van de Walle, May/June 2011