Studying Separatism--Not Going Out of Business

This article on Southern Sudan indicates that my business--studying separatism--is not going to face a recession anytime soon.  To stop the conflict, outsiders (the US) proposed that a cease-fire would eventually be followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan.  This was a classic case of "kicking the can down the road."  That is, putting off a big decision, delaying a problem, without doing much to solve it.  So, what is happening now:

Instead, they point to a recent influx of weapons in the area, saying it suggests that northern Sudanese officials are arming various factions — much as they have done before — in a plot to plunge the south into chaos so that the independence referendum, scheduled for 2011, will be delayed or even called off.

 I wanted to highlight this article because it is an example of a newspaper drawing attention to a conflict as it is accelerating.  If Sudan turns into a humanitarian disaster and some folks say that they didn't see it coming, well, sure we did.