Introduction : from Southern Sudan to South Sudan. Contested identities and near perpetual war -- The origins of 'Southern Sudan' -- Transforming Southern Sudan into South Sudan -- The purposes of the book -- The Southern Sudan question : unity or separation? The first civil war : Anya-Nya secessionism ends in unity -- The second civil war : the SPLA's revolution ends in secession -- Domineering personalities and conflicted collaboration -- Conclusion : New Sudan dies; South Sudan is born -- The golden years of revolution : 1983-1991. The SPLA emerges as the dominant Southern force -- The SPLA advances, Khartoum turns to Southern proxies -- The 1991 watershed -- Conclusion : when golden is relative -- Years of darkness, serious struggle, negotiations : 1991-2005. The dark years of revolution -- The SPLA/M's serious struggle to regain the initiative -- Negotiating the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) -- Conclusion : and now the hard part -- Giving unity a chance : the CPA's interim period, 2005-2011. The implications of Garang's death for the CPA process -- Relative accommodation and perseverance for the referendum -- What happened to the Second Republic of New Sudan? -- Conclusion : persistence pays off -- Defining the Republic of South Sudan. From region to state : laying the foundations of sovereign governance -- Keeping it together : confronting the revival of other armed groups -- The economic situation at independence and development -- Conclusion -- The parameters of South Sudan's foreign policy. The two Sudans : South Sudan's relations with Sudan -- South Sudan's relations with regional neighbours -- South Sudan's relations with the major powers -- Conclusion -- The meaning of liberation in South Sudan. Who owns South Sudan's liberation? -- What is South Sudanese nationalism? -- The need for South-South reconciliation -- Conclusion : the long walk to freedom.