Following the Cold War, Sub-Saharan Africa, has been in a period of flux in which democratic change has dominated the political agenda in a number of one-party states. In most cases, such change has been effected by institutional means but, in the case of several countries, change - democratic or otherwise - has been attained by violent military intervention. The peoples of Africa have paid a high price for their nations' conflicts. Millions of lives have been lost not only in conflict but also as a result of the side-effects of war. In addition, the continent has been prone to natural calamities such as droughts, not visibly brought to world attention with images of mass starvation in the 1980's. While the liberation of South Africa from apartheid symbolized hope and promise for the continent, recent events in countries such as Liberia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan and Zaire have mitigated such optimism. Nevertheless, Africa appears to be on a precipice with debate about its future polarized between two groups of analysts, optimists and pessimists (from the preface...)

This book is structured thematically to reflect the post-colonial condition and to assess the state of contemporary politics within sub-Saharan Africa. The three major themes and areas examined include: politics in East Africa, contemporary developments in South Africa and development discourse and development issues in Africa.