Africa's Wars and Prospects for Peace (Hardcover), by Raymond W. Copson. Information.

African Guerrillas (Paperback), by Christopher S. Clapham (Editor). First Sentence: This book seeks to asses an important but often neglected phenomenon in the politics of modern Africa: the development of armed movements, usually originating in the countryside and often attacking across state frontiers, which have sought to contest the power of African states, and have frequently established their own forms of rule, in territories from which the control of established states has disappeared. Information.

After the Cold War: Security and Democracy in Africa and Asia (Library of International Relations, Vol 6) (Hardcover), by William Hale and Eberhard Kienle (Editors). The end of the Cold War produced dramatic changes in the Third World. Written by a group of distinguished scholars, this book explores the impact of this transformation on the regional conflicts and domestic political systems of Asia and Africa. Examines the transformations now taking place in those parts of the world which, by and large, did not normally occupy center stage in the global Cold War conflict, although they were affected by it and its demise. The volume's eleven contributions address such issues as how the end of the superpower conflict has changed the relative power of Asian and African states within their own regions; how it has affected their internal political structures; and how communist and leftist movements in Africa and Asia have adapted themselves to the transformed global environment. Information.

Civil Wars in Africa: Roots and Resolution (Paperback), by Taisier M. Ali and Robert O. Matthews (Edotors). Review: This a well written factual study of African civil wars. It clearly addresses the crisis without taking sides or introducing any ideological or other agendas. The chapters on Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Mozamique and Rwanda are outstanding. Moreover, the concluding chapter brings in an outstanding and fresh perspective. In short this is an excellent book. Information.

Conflict in Africa (Tauris Academic Studies) (Hardcover), by Oliver W. Furley (Editor). Modern Africa has always been beset by conflict. The result is the appalling suffering of the innocent. This book treats conflict in the widest sense: international and civil wars, rebellion, tribal, ethnic and religious disturbance, criminality and war-lordism. The authors adopt a multi-disciplinary approach and analyse the seed-bed from which conflict grows: artificial state boundaries, deep-rooted ethnic and religious divisions, the shallow roots of democracy, the untried loyalty of ex-colonial armies, the adoption of foreign ideologies, glorification of charismatic leaders and the one-party state, corruption, inequality, landlessness, rural deprivation and urban squalor. A potent cause of conflict is the role of the military, leading to military coups and dictatorship. And there are international factors such as the supply of arms, and the arming of whole populations of all ages - a poignant reminder of this is the child-soldier strutting with gun, cigarette, and wreathed in bandoliers of ammunition. Further international factors are the Cold War and its aftermath, and the regional domination of South Africa and the Republic's political agenda. The authors are distinguished Africanists who by sharp analysis of conflict can focus on root-causes - an understanding of which can lead, however, gradually, to remedy. Information.

Continent Ablaze: The Insurgency Wars in Africa 1960 to the Present (Hardcover), by John W. Turner. Detailed operational histories are standard for many modern wars, but quite rare in Africa. Continent Ablaze is thus a good addition to Africa's military history. Turner deftly, even exuberantly, describes the continent's bitter and protracted conflicts, with coverage heavily weighted toward the Apartheid wars involving South Africa. Time spent observing the South African Defense Force bolsters his reading. This feel for combat strengthens the book, but also crucially weakens it because his judgements often reflect the views of the SADF and others who fought majority rule in southern Africa. Turner knows the politics of these struggles; he details the origins of conflicts and peace talks, and remarks briefly on how war affected ordinary people. Information.

Designing West Africa: Prelude to 21st Century Calamity (Hardcover), by Peter Schwab. Review:  Understanding the history and politics of Africa since the 1960s can be an overwhelming undertaking for readers who have never focused on this area of the world or those of us who somehow allowed Africa to slip to the far edge of our radar screens in more recent years. Peter Schwab's most recent book provides a well-organized account of six West African leaders from the time of independence of their respective nations to the end of their periods of leadership, along with an analysis of how each failed to fulfill the promise of those exciting days when African independence was bursting out on the world stage. Dr. Schwab presents an eloquent, well-balanced reading experience that sheds light on the personal strengths and weaknesses of each leader against the backdrop of the Cold War and the remnants of colonialism. Information.

Environmental Politics and Liberation in Contemporary Africa (Environment & Policy) (Hardcover), by M.A. Salih. This book is the first of its kind to explore the intricate relationship between liberation movements and environmental struggles in contemporary Africa. It is premised on the question why some movements are called `environmental' and others `liberation'. What socioeconomic and political circumstances lead to the making or dissipation of such distinctions? Common among African liberation movements is the promise to offer alternative political order and livlelihood possibilities. The prominence of the environment (land, water, forests, oil, minerals, etc.) in the political objectives of most African liberation movements leads Salih to argue that in Africa - as well, probably, as in other developing countries - the distinction between environmental and liberation struggles is apparently superfluous. Liberation, in this broader perspective, therefore offers and all-encompassing emancipatory political potential that transcends the environment to include the laudable quest to transform the state and the authoritarian institutions of government that sustain it. The book also explains the role of local/international NGO partnerships with African liberation movements in extending humanitarian as well as advocacy support to the victims of state oppression. Information.

Frontiersmen: Warfare In Africa Since 1950 (Warfare and History) (Paperback), by Anthony Clayton. A comprehensive and timely overview of warfare in Africa from 1950 to the present day ... the meticulously accurate appendices are clearly set out and combine to form a mini encyclopedic dictionary: from that perspective alone the volume is a tool worth having. Information.

Genocide and Crisis in Central Africa: Conflict Roots, Mass Violence, and Regional War (Hardcover), by Christian P. Scherrer. Scherrer examines the ethnicized conflicts, periodic war, and genocide in Rwanda and Burundi. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda may have resulted in the murder of a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu, while the mass killings in Burundi, especially in 1993 when some 200,000 Hutu and Tutsi were killed, and the current ongoing war in the Congo appear to have the potential to escalate into another round of genocide in the region. Scherrer explores the background to the conflicts in the Great Lakes Region as well as what the international community might do to break this tragic cycle of violence and despair. Following a chapter on the history of the region before independence in 1960/61, he examines the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the subsequent attempts to promote justice, reconstruction, human rights work, and genocide prevention. Scherrer pays particular attention to the role of the Western powers, the UN, and the aid system--and he is critical of all of these institutions. He also analyzes what is happening in neighboring Burundi and the Congo. An important research for scholars and policymakers involved with Central African affairs and ethnicized conflict. Information.

Globalization and the New World Order: Promises, Problems, and Prospects for Africa in the Twenty-First Century (Hardcover), by Felix Moses Edoho (Editor). Globalization presents a paradox in light of the tendency toward regionalization in world trade and investment, and the emergence of the three economic super blocs--the Asia-Pacific Rim, North America, and the European Economic Community. The Third World countries and regions in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere are left out of the action. This work states the fundamental problems that face Africa, draws the attention of the world policy makers to the problems, and proposes answers and solutions. Information.

Guns and Gandhi in Africa: Pan-African Insights on Nonviolence, Armed Struggle, and Liberation (Hardcover), by Bill Sutherland (and Matt Meyer. Guns and Gandhi in Africa: Pan African Insights on Nonviolence, Armed Struggle and Liberation in Africa examines the strategies and tactics used in achieving an end to colonialism, from the point of view of those who led the liberation movements. Reporting upon the candid reflections of leaders throughout the continent, the book reviews how methods of struggle influenced the independent governments of the past five decades. Based on dialogues with a broad spectrum of Africans, who have played key roles in both revolution and reform, the authors suggest that, despite great problems facing the whole continent, there is much room for hope and possibility. Participants in these discussions--excerpts of which are shared here for the first time--include Ela Gandhi, Kenneth Kaunda, Graca Machel, Sam Nujoma, Julius Nyerere, Jerry John Rawlins, Salim Ahmed Salim and Walter Sisulu. Information.

Intervention and Transnationalism in Africa: Global-Local Networks of Power (Paperback), by Thomas Callaghy, Ronald Kassimir, Robert Latham, (Editors). This book examines the relationship between global and local politics in Africa. As well as feeling the impact of globalization, Africa has been increasingly subject to external interventions - political, economic and military. Comprising chapters by area specialists, political scientists and anthropologists, the book analyzes the forms of power, authority and governance which have emerged as international influences have grown. It will be of interest to students of comparative politics, sociology and international relations, as well as African studies. Information.

Revolution, Counter-Revolution and Revisionism in Postcolonial Africa: The Case of Mozambique, 1975-1994 (Studies in Modern History) (Hardcover), by Alice Dinerman. Information.  

South Africa's Security Dilemmas: (The Washington Papers) (Hardcover), by Christopher Coker. This new book looks at South Africa's military future. It specifically examines the military problems which South Africa will face over the next decade. According to the author, South Africa is a colossus with feet of clay. He points out that South Africa will have problems because of service morale, deficiency of equipment, and performance of the defense sector. He also discusses how the West has taken for granted South Africa's alignment with the Western World, and its ramifications. Finally, Coker shows that South Africa's security dilemmas are largely of its own making. He concludes that choices between roles have been avoided for far too long and some hard decisions will have to be made. Information.

Transformation and Trouble: Crime, Justice and Participation in Democratic South Africa (Hardcover), by Diana Gordon.  Crime is one of the major challenges to any new democracy. Violence often increases after the lifting of authoritarian control, or in the aftermath of regime change. But how can a fledgling democracy fight crime without violating the fragile rights of its citizens? In Transformation and Trouble, accomplished theorist and criminal justice scholar Diana Gordon critically examines South Africa's efforts to strike the perilous balance between democratic participation and social control. South Africa has made great progress in pursuing the Western ideals of participatory justice and due process. Yet Gordon finds that popular concerns about crime have fostered the growth of a punitive criminal justice system that undermines the country's rights-oriented political culture. Transformation and Trouble calls for South Africa to reaffirm its commitment to public empowerment by reforming its criminal justice system-an approach, she argues, that would strengthen the country's new democracy. Information.

Understanding Civil War: Evidence and Analysis, Vol. 1--Africa (Paperback),
by Paul Collier and Nicholas Sambanis (Editors). The two volumes of Understanding Civil War build upon the World Bank's prior research on conflict and violence, particularly on the work of Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler, whose model of civil war onset has sparked much discussion on the relationship between conflict and development in what came to be known as the "greed" versus "grievance" debate. The authors systematically apply the Collier-Hoeffler model to 15 countries in 6 different regions of the world, using a comparative case study methodology to revise and expand upon economic models of civil war. The book concludes that the "greed" versus "grievance" debate should be abandoned for a more complex model that considers greed and grievance as inextricably fused motives for civil war. Information.

United States Foreign Policy toward Africa: Incrementalism, Crisis and Change (Cambridge Studies in International Relations) (Paperback), by Peter J. Schraeder. This book offers the first comprehensive theoretical analysis of US foreign policy toward Africa in the postwar era. Peter Schraeder argues that though we often assume that US policymakers "speak with one voice," Washington's foreign policy is derived from numerous centers of power, each of which has the ability to pull policy in different directions. Drawing on over 100 interviews, and detailed case studies in Zaire, Ethiopia-Somalia, and South Africa, this book provides a unique analysis of the historical evolution of US foreign policy in the region. Information.

Zones of Conflict in Africa: Theories and Cases (Hardcover), by George Klay Kieh and, Ida Rousseau Mukenge, (Editors). Torn by ongoing civil and military violence, Africa presents a challenge to scholars interested in the root causes of conflict. Each conflict is unique, but overall they exhibit common patterns. The contributors of this book employ an eclectic array of current explanations of civil strife and how to resolve it. The first half of the book provides the relevant theoretical background. Theories of conflict and conflict resolution, the larger context of African strife in Africa, and patterns and trends of conflict are discussed. Shifting from the general to the particular, the remaining chapters of this volume gauge the accuracy and usefulness of the current thinking on conflicts by grounding it in case studies drawn from the Great Lakes Region, Liberia, Nigeria, and Zambia. Information.

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