The Shackled Continent Power, Corruption, and African Lives

by GUEST, ROBERT

• ISBN13: 9781588342973
• ISBN10: 1588342972
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-14
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books

Summary

A former Africa editor forThe Economist, Robert Guest addresses the troubled continent's thorniest problems: war, AIDS, and above all, poverty. Newly updated with a preface that considers political and economic developments of the past six years,The Shackled Continentis engrossing, highly readable, and as entertaining as it is tragic. Guest pulls the veil off the corruption and intrigue that cripple so many African nations, posing a provocative theory that Africans have been impoverished largely by their own leaders' abuses of power. From the minefields of Angola to the barren wheat fields of Zimbabwe, Guest gathers startling evidence of the misery African leaders have inflicted on their people. But he finds elusive success stories and examples of the resilience and resourcefulness of individual Africans, too; from these, he draws hope that the continent will eventually prosper. Guest offers choices both commonsense and controversial for Africans and for those in the West who wish Africa well.

Author Biography

Robert Guest is a Washington correspondent for The Economist and regularly appears on CNN and the BBC. Previously, he covered Africa for seven years, based in London and Johannesburg. He has also worked as a correspondent in Tokyo and a freelance writer in South Korea. He lives in Washington, DC.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 1
Introduction: Why Is Africa So Poor?	p. 4
The Vampire State	p. 28
Digging Diamonds, Digging Graves	p. 52
No Title	p. 73
Sex and Death	p. 87
The Son of a Snake is a Snake	p. 108
Fair Aid, Free Trade	p. 147
Of Potholes and Grasping Gendarmes	p. 172
Wiring the Wilderness	p. 194
Beyond the Rainbow Nation	p. 218
Conclusion: One Step at a Time	p. 239
Epilogue	p. 259
Notes	p. 267
Index	p. 282
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