John W. Harbeson & Donald Rothchild (Eds.) Africa in World Politics: Reforming Political Order. Boulder: Westview Press, 2008.ISBN 13: 9780813343648

Abstract

Sub-Saharan African states have shown signs that they may participate in global politics due to notable economic and political developments that they have attained since their independence in the second half of the 20th century. The end of the Cold War saw African states being integrated into the world economy through multilateral institutions and also applying the new wave of democracy to their systems of governance. This book examines the important trends and developments in the participation of Africa in world politics. The book is divided into 14 chapters. In the first chapter, authors highlights the political and economic challenges that were being faced by sub-Saharan states soon after attaining their independence. States such as Mozambique, Angola, and Rwanda engaged in civil wars for years, while Zimbabwe was resistant to multiparty democracy. The author argues that since 1990, most Sub-Saharan countries have democratized and conducted multiparty elections, as well as opened doors for civil society organizations. The number of democratizing African countries had risen from 2 to approximately a third of all African countries.