"Economic growth does not demand a secret formula. Good development examples now abound in East Asia and farther afield in others parts of Asia, and in Central America. But why then has Africa failed to realise its potential in half a century of independence? This book shows that African poverty is not because the world has denied the continent the market and financial means to compete: far from it. It has not been because of aid per se. Nor is African poverty solely a consequence of poor infrastructure or trade access, or because the necessary development and technical expertise is unavailable internationally. Why then has the continent lagged behind other developing areas when its people work hard and the continent is blessed with abundant natural resources? Stomping across the continent and the developing world in search of the answer, Greg Mills controversially shows that the main reason why Africa's people are poor is because their leaders have made this choice"--Dust jacket.

Why Africa Is Poor

Business & Money

Mills, Greg

International

Penguin Global

Why Africa is Poor looks at the fragile economic and political situation in Africa and makes the quite controversial argument that the main reason Africa’s people are poor is due to the choices made by their leaders. Dr Greg Mills draws extensively from his experiences running various presidential-level advisory teams across the continent and examines the policy choices that have stunted African development. In providing some answers to the conundrum of development, the book focuses on the way the global economy works, Africa’s record and the choices made by its leaders, the role of the outside world and the global aid regime. It assesses whether the odds are in Africa’s favour and identifies the areas where African leadership could make better choices.

Why Africa is Poor: And What Africans Can Do About It

Economics

An excellent guide book about seven decisive battles which shaped South Africa, and the distinctive personalities involved. The authors visited all the sites themselves and the book contains substantial new information, including the Black perspective on the various battles and on the aftermath of Cuito Canavale.Contents include:· Blood River -- 1838 (Dingane; Andries Pretorius)· Isandhlwana/Rorke's Drift -- 1879 (Matyana; Chard)· Majuba – 1881 (Colley; Joubert)· Colenso (“Black Week”) – 1899 (Redvers Buller; Louis Botha)· Delville Wood – 1916· The Western Desert (Sidi Rezegh, Tobruk and El Alamein) – 1942 (Klopper; Dan Pienaar; Erwin Rommel)· Cuito Cuanavale –1988 (Jannie Geldenhuys; Fidel Castro)

7 Battles That Shaped South Africa

History

WILLIAMS, David

Africa

Nb Pub Ltd

How South Africa Works: And Must Do Better

Herbst, Jeffrey

Pan Macmillan South Africa

Rich State, Poor State: Why Some Countries Succeed and Others Fail

Penguin Random House South Africa

Democracy Works asks how we can learn to nurture, deepen and consolidate democracy in Africa. By analyzing transitions within and beyond the continent, the authors identify a 'democratic playbook' robust enough to withstand threats to free and fair elections. However, substantive democracy demands more than just regular polls. It is fundamentally about the inner workings of institutions, the rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances, and leadership in government and civil society. It is also about values and the welfare and well-being of its citizens, and demands local leadership with a plan for the country beyond simply winning the popular vote. This volume addresses the political, economic and extreme demographic challenges that Africa faces. It is intended as a resource for members of civil society and as a guide for all who seek to enjoy the political and development benefits of democracy in the world's poorest continent. Finally, it is for donors and external actors who have to face critical decisions--especially after ill-fated electoral interventions such as Kenya 2017--about the future of observer missions and aid promoting democracy and good governance.

Democracy Works: Re-Wiring Politics to Africa's Advantage

Politics & Social Sciences

Obasanjo, Olusegun

Biti, Tendai

Politics & Government

Hurst

In 1960, the GDP per capita of Southeast Asian countries was nearly half of that of Africa. By 1986 the gap had closed and today the trend is reversed, with more than half of the world's poorest now living in sub Saharan Africa. Why has Asia developed while Africa lagged? The Asian Aspiration chronicles the stories of explosive growth and changing fortunes: the leaders, events and policy choices that lifted a billion people out of abject poverty within a single generation, the largest such shift in human history. The relevance of Asia's example comes as Africa is facing a population boom, which can either lead to crisis or prosperity, and as Asia is again transforming, this time out of low-cost manufacturing into hi-tech, leaving a void that is Africa's for the taking. Far from the optimistic determinism of "Africa Rising," this book calls for unprecedented pragmatism in the pursuit of African success.

The Asian Aspiration: Why and How Africa Should Emulate Asia -- and What It Should Avoid

van der Merwe, Emily

Desalegn, Hailemariam

'These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world,' said Charlie Wilson, of America's role backing the anti-Soviet mujahideen. 'And then we fucked up the endgame.' With no support for Afghanistan after that war, the vacuum was filled by the Taliban and bin Laden. The Ledger assesses the West's similarly failed approach to Afghanistan after 9/11-in military, diplomatic, political and developmental terms. Dr David Kilcullen and Dr Greg Mills are uniquely placed to reflect backwards and forwards on the Afghan conflict: they worked with the international mission both as advisers and within the Arg, and they have considerable experience of counterinsurgency and stabilization operations elsewhere in the world. Here these two experts show that there is plenty of blame to go around when explaining the failure to bring peace to Afghanistan after 9/11. The signs of collapse were conveniently ignored, in favor of political narratives of progress and success. Yet for Afghans, the war and its geopolitical effects are not over because NATO is gone-Afghanistan remains globally connected through digital communications and networks. This vital book explains why and where failings in Afghanistan happened, warning against exceptionalist approaches to future peacebuilding missions around the globe.

The Ledger: Accounting for Failure in Afghanistan

Kilcullen, David

Asia

State failure takes many forms. Somalia offers one extreme. The country's prolonged civil war led to the collapse of central authority, with state control devolving to warlord-led factions that competed for the spoils of local commerce, political power, and international aid. Malawi, on the other hand, is at the other end of the scale. During President Bingu's second term in office, the country's economy collapsed as a result of poor policies and Bingu's brand of personal politics. On the surface, Malawi's economy seemed largely stable; underneath, however, the polity was fractured and the economy broken. In between these two extremes of state failure are all manner of examples, many of which Mills explores in the fascinating and profoundly personal Why States Recover. Throughout he returns to his key questions: how do countries recover? What roles should both insiders and outsiders play to aid that process? Drawing on research in more than thirty countries, and incorporating interviews with a dozen leaders, Mills examines state failure and identifies instances of recovery in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. For anyone interested in the reasons behind states' failure, and remedies to ensure future economic stability, it is important reading.

Why States Recover: Changing Walking Societies into Winning Nations, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe

No country has managed as rapid and positive a turnaround in governance and security conditions this century than Colombia. In 1999, rebels of the FARC and ELN were, literally, at the gates of Bogota, Colombian known more for rapacious corruption, weak government, drug smuggling and criminality, a country synonymous with the antics of Pablo Escobar. Fifteen years later the guerrillas and the government are at the peace table in Havana, the economy has been a top performer in Latin America, and drugs are no longer the pervasive scourge they once were. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive examination of the different elements employed by government to combat the guerrillas, to win local and international political and military support, extend government authority to the 75 percent of the countryside where it was seldom felt, and to turn the Colombian economy into a success resembling the high-growth examples of Southeast Asia. How the Colombians did all of this is the subject of this book by four international specialists with untrammelled policy and practical expertise in counter-insurgency campaigns in Colombia and elsewhere, bringing a unique comparative perspective. Based on field-work in Colombia's regions, the study provides a history to the conflict, compares it to other historical and contemporary case-studies, examines the war from the perspective of the government and the guerrilla, delves into the development of special Colombian capabilities notably in intelligence and the use of airpower and special forces, and explains the economic dimension in terms both of historical exclusion and ongoing attempts at growth and inclusion. Finally, it concludes with an assessment on the country's prospects: can the combination of improved security, a flourishing economy and the peace process offer an opportunity to finally translate Colombia from, in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's words, 'a great perhaps' into something more permanent?

A Great Perhaps?: Colombia: Conflict and Divergence

Spencer, David

Davis, Dickie

Americas

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