African independence launched into international politics a group of the world's poorest, weakest, and most artificial states. How have such states managed to survive? To what extent is their survival now threatened? Christopher Clapham shows how an initially supportive international environment has - as a result partly of political and economic mismanagement within African states themselves, partly of global developments over which they had no control - become increasingly threatening to African rulers and the states over which they preside. The author also reveals how international conventions designed to uphold state sovereignty have often been appropriated and subverted by rulers to enhance their domestic control, and how African states have been undermined by guerrilla insurgencies and the use of international relations to serve essentially private ends. He shows how awkward, how ambiguous, how unsatisfactory, and often how tragic, has been the encounter between Africa and Western conceptions of statehood.

The author examines how awkward, how ambiguous, how unsatisfactory, and often how tragic the encounter has been between African and Western conceptions of statehood.
Reviews
"This important book proposes a major overhaul of the conventional framework for analyzing international relations in Africa." Gail M. Gerhart, Foreign Affairs
"...Clapham's volume is solid, sweeping, and thoughtful. Strongly recommended for larger university libraries and other collections specializing in African or Third World studies, comparative politics, and international affairs." J.P. Smaldone, Choice



Book Information
ISBN 9780521576680
Author Christopher Clapham
Format Paperback
Page Count 356
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 520g
Dimensions(mm) 237mm * 145mm * 23mm