Sudan and newly independent South Sudan, long at odds over the sharing of oil revenues from the south's lucrative 350,000-barrel-a-day oil industry, have begun fighting near oil fields on their border. UCLA has an expert.

Michael Ross, professor of political science and director of UCLA's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, studies issues releated to political economy, natural resources, civil war and democratization. He is the author of the new book "The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations," which examines the ways in which oil riches can make nations more prone to dictatorships, insurgencies, and economic and gender disparities.

Media contact:

Meg Sullivan | 310-825-1046 | msullivan@support.ucla.edu