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Review
| African Military History and Politics: Coups and Ideological Incursions, 1900-Present, by A.B. Assensoh and Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh. New York: Palgrave, 2001. 215 pages. $24.95, paper.
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| In this examination of the intersection of the military and politics on the African continent during the 20th Century the authors focus their attention on sub-Saharan Africa in particular and attempt to discern the root cause of the political instability of this region in the post-colonial period. The eight chapters of this volume begin with one concerning the end of the colonial period in African history. The authors rightly assert that European colonialism imposed artificial borders on the continent which exacerbated tensions between African ethnic groups. This chapter also examine how religion, slavery (within the continent), and indigenous traditions and customs were affected by colonialism and the end of colonialism. In Chapter 2, the authors show that very similar patterns of evolution took place in national police forces and African armed forces. The national police forces took on a "militarized" pattern because they were principally organized to maintain internal order rather than to deal with ordinary crime. The armed forces enjoyed a "favored" status within the colonial governments and have, therefore, been seen in the post-colonial period as "status symbols" of the national leaders. |
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In Chapter 3, the authors explore the corrupt and dictatorial tendencies in much of sub-Saharan Africa, forces that create situations ripe for military intervention. As the authors point out, circumstances have often been so deplorable within the civilian governments that even the general populace has supported military coups. In Chapter 4, the authors present an overview of military (or police) leaders who have become civilian leaders in retirement or merely as a result of shedding their military garb. In Chapter 5, they present a generally negative portrait of military involvement in African politics. In Chapter 6, they deal with the thorny issue of the proliferation of coups throughout Africa. While many of these coups were fomented by the international struggle of the Cold War, most found their basis in the internal conditions of the individual African nations. In Chapter 7, they continue the discussion of the coups by examining them within their political and theoretical contexts. Finally, in Chapter 8, they endeavor to tie up all of the events and conditions that have led to the political instability of sub-Saharan Africa. |
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The authors must be credited for presenting an accurate, "warts and all" picture of sub-Saharan Africa in the post-colonial period. While they do lay some of the blame for the problems of post-colonial Africa on the doorstep of the former colonial powers, the authors state clearly near the end of the book that, "It is, therefore, time for Africans and their leaders to 'clean up' their political and economic acts." Despite being a well-researched and a well written book, I believe that students who have no background in African history may well become lost in the minutiae of military and political events in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the usefulness of this book for teaching would be limited to graduate and upper division undergraduate courses in African history. |
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| University of Findlay, Findlay, Ohio |
Alexander M. Bielakowski |
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