This book is more than just a study of ethnic politics in Kenya and Nigeria. The two countries are a microcosm of the entire continent: the problems it faces, its successes and failures, and the hope and despair of hundreds of millions of its people whose aspirations have been frustrated by decades of corrupt leadership that has skilfully exploited one of Africa's biggest weaknesses -- tribalism. But the people themselves are also responsible for that. They have allowed tribalism to flourish and destroy the countries. And they have allowed unscrupulous politicians to use and abuse them -- without storming the Bastille. What they are not responsible for is dictatorship African leaders instituted to perpetuate themselves in office by exploiting tribalism. These despots have been so good at it, and have done it for so long since independence, that many African countries are now on the brink of collapse, with the people at war against themselves.

This work is a comparative study of ethnic politics in Kenya in Nigeria, two countries on the African continent where ethnicity has played a major role in determining their destiny as much it has elsewhere only in varying degrees. This is similar to the author's other works on Rwanda and Burundi – including “Identity Politics and Ethnic Conflicts in Rwanda and Burundi: A Comparative Study” – where the same phenomenon has had tragic consequences for decades; both works appropriate in their own contexts yet of continental relevance. The work is also an examination of the Nigerian civil war whose tragic consequences included the secession of the Eastern Region which declared independence as the Republic of Biafra after tens of thousands of Easterners were massacred in Northern Nigeria in 1966.

The book will provide the first regionally widespread and thematic look at African electoral systems and antecedent issues such as electoral laws, gender, politics, violence, and youth challenges in Africa. It will enrich the discussion on four country-specific studies within a general regional framework that explains and explores a “home base” viewpoint of what occurs before, during and after elections. The book will bring together a discussion of diverse issues under one umbrella, which has never been done before. This book begins a discussion from an academic’s and practitioner’s view of elections, contrasting the intellectual discussion with the author’s personal experience of practical realities on the ground. Additionally, the book will create long-standing and lasting literature that will compare elections in some of Africa's leading democratic countries, such as South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

This work looks at the role different ethnic groups have played in the evolution of Uganda as a nation. It also examines some of the challenges the country has faced in its attempts to create a common identity transcending ethnic and regional differences. It's also a general introduction to Uganda. Subjects covered include ethnic groups and their cultures, geography, history and the economy, and challenges to the legitimacy of the state by traditional centres of power and institutions which are regionally entrenched.

The elegists, ancient Rome's most introspective poets, filled their works with vivid, first-person accounts of dreams. Emma Scioli examines these varied and visually striking textual dreamscapes, arguing that the poets exploited dynamics of visual representation to share with readers the intensely personal experience of dreaming.

Publisher Description

This volume explores the issues and debates surrounding the ongoing processes of democratization in sub-Saharan Africa, illuminating the central dynamics characterizing Africa’s democratic experiments, and considering the connections between democratization and economic, social, and cultural developments on the continent. Reflecting the diverse and rich nature of this field of study, the Handbook of Democratization in Africa features more than thirty contributions structured into six thematic sections: The politics and paths of regime development Institutional dynamics Political mobilization and voting dynamics The politics of identity Social forces from below The consequences of democracy. Chapters offer overviews of the key scholarship on particular topics, including central insights from the latest research, and provide suggestions for those interested in further inquiry. The material includes attention to broad cross-continental patterns, for example with respect to public opinion, political violence, or the role of different institutions and actors. It also includes rich case material, drawing on and highlighting the experiences of a diverse collection of countries. Encouraging a comprehensive view of key concerns and enhancing understanding of particular issues, the Handbook of Democratization in Africa represents a critical resource for experts and students of African politics, democratization, and African studies.

Democratic Governance and Political Participation in Nigeria 1999-2014 seeks to critically analyse Nigeria's democratic experience since 1999 when the current Republic was instituted. Given the chequered democratic antecedents of the country, the book examines the factors responsible for the resilience of the present democratic dispensation, in spite of forces inhibiting democratic consolidation. It also examines these inhibiting forces and makes recommendations for overcoming them. Finally, the book seeks to stimulate intellectual discourse on Nigeria's democracy and arouse greater research interests in the subject.

This book examines the structures and processes of political decision-making and governance in Nigeria. Since Nigeria returned to elected government in 1999, it has been observed that several factors account for the differences between the design of statutory structures and processes of political decision-making and how they operate in reality. In other words, there are wide gaps between statutes and practice of political decision-making. However, the nexus between the two remains largely understudied by political scientists. Instinctively, political scientists assume that informal influences in political decision-making are aberrations, episodic or temporary. This book is designed to interrogate the nexus between the formal and non-formal dimensions of the dynamics of political decision making in Nigeria and also provide evidence about the actual functioning of governmental structures in Nigeria. The thesis of the book is that the non-formal dimension of political decision making as evidenced in rising ethno-political patronages, religious sentiments, clientelism and factionalism, are interacting with formal decision-making structures in ways that largely undermine the latter and, by extension, the democratic system. The book pursues this thesis by examining the roles of actors and institutions including, electoral choices made by voters, legislations, which perhaps is the most fundamental form of political decision-making, policies made by the executive and administration, as well as decision making within political parties, since parties are sites for articulating and aggregating issues on which decisions are to be made.

Preface p. xxvii Part 1 Foundation of World Politics 1 The Importance of World Politics p. 1 What Is World Politics? p. 3 Why Study World Politics? p. 10 What New Forces Are Shaping the Planet? p. 15 Chapter Summary p. 28 2 Approaches to World Politics p. 34 What Are the Tools of Analysis in World Politics? p. 36 What Theories of World Politics Flow from the Paradigms? p. 47 What Are the Subjective Approaches to World Politics? p. 59 Chapter Summary p. 63 3 Analyzing World Politics p. 69 What Is the Basic Unit of Analysis in the International System? p. 70 What Are the Levels of Analysis? p. 77 How Are the Levels of Analysis Used to Understand International Relations? p. 99 Chapter Summary p. 101 Part 2 Driving Forces in World Politics 4 Power in World Politics p. 108 What Is Power, and How Is It Measured? p. 110 What Are the Major Elements of Power? p. 119 What Patterns of Power Relationships Exist Among States? p. 135 Chapter Summary p. 144 5 Foreign Policy Formation and Execution p. 151 What Is Foreign Policy? p. 152 How Is Foreign Policy Formulated? p. 161 What Are the Foreign Policy Repercussions of 9/11? p. 177 Chapter Summary p. 180 6 Intergovernmental Actors p. 185 What Are Intergovernmental Organizations? p. 185 Why Do Countries Join Intergovernmental Organizations? p. 187 What Is the United Nations, and How Does It Work? p. 192 What Is the European Union, and How Does It Work? p. 208 Chapter Summary p. 224 7 Nongovernmental Actors p. 232 What Factors Explain the Rise of Nongovernmental Organizations? p. 234 What Are Examples of Important NGOs? p. 237 What Corporate Actors Operate in the International Arena, and How Powerful Are They? p. 241 What Is the Relationship Between States and NGOs? p. 245 Chapter Summary p. 262 8 Political Geography p. 271 What Is Political Geography? p. 273 What Geographic Factors Influence World Politics? p. 285 How Does Geography Shape Human Perceptions? p. 299 Chapter Summary p. 305 9 Nationalism p. 311 What Is Nationalism? p. 312 How Is Nationalism Manifested Around the World? p. 323 Russia's National Identity p. 325 American National Identity p. 326 How Do Leaders Use Nationalism in Foreign Policy? p. 335 Chapter Summary p. 340 Part 3 Significant Issues in 21st Century World Politics 10 Global Violence: Wars, Weapons, Terrorism p. 345 What Are the Causes of War? p. 347 What Are the Weapons of War, and Can They Be Controlled? p. 354 What Can Be Done About Terrorism? p. 365 How Can Global Violence Be Controlled? p. 373 Chapter Summary p. 378 11 Human Rights, Women, and Global Justice p. 385 What Are Human Rights? p. 388 Why Are Women's Rights Human Rights? p. 397 How Do Feminist Theories of International Relations Address Human Rights? p. 403 How Has the International Community Responded to Human Rights Violations? p. 413 Chapter Summary p. 422 12 International Political Economy and Developed Countries p. 430 What Is International Political Economy? p. 430 What Are Free Trade and Protectionism? p. 435 How Does the Global Financial System Work? p. 452 Chapter Summary p. 461 13 The Political Economy of Development p. 468 What Is Meant by Development? p. 470 An Analytical Framework for Evaluating Change p. 476 What Theories Explain Rich and Poor Countries? p. 478 What Factors Affect the Politics of Development? p. 484 What Development Models Have Poor Countries Followed? p. 496 Chapter Summary p. 504 14 The Global Environment p. 511 What Key Factors Influence the Global Environment? p. 514 What Are the Challenges to the Global Environment? p. 519 How Is the International Community Addressing These Challenges? p. 539 Why Can't the International Community Agree on a Common Strategy? p. 554 Chapter Summary p. 556 Glossary p. 563 Photo Credits p. 571.