Challenge and Change in African Politics
Aili Mari Tripp takes a close, clear-sighted look at Ugandan politics since 1986, when Yoweri Museveni became the country's president. Museveni's exercise of power has been replete with contradictions: steps toward political liberalization have been controlled in ways that further centralize authority; and despite claims of relative peace and stability, Uganda has been plagued by two decades of brutal civil conflict. Exploring these paradoxes, Tripp focuses on the complex connections among Museveni's economic and political reforms, his wars in the north and in Congo, the key roles of international donors and the military, and the institutional changes that have defined his presidency. She highlights, as well, efforts by the judiciary, the legislature, the media, and civil society to check executive power. This is also a book about the semiauthoritarian regimes, like Uganda's, that characterize so many political systems in Africa. Tripp reflects analytically on the distinctiveness of this type of system—and on its implications for civil society, institutional growth, and real economic development.
That judicial institutions are important for emerging democracies leaves little room for debate. But to what extent do judiciaries in these new democracies maintain their autonomy? And what accounts for varying levels of autonomy across states? Drawing on the cases of Malawi, Zambia, and Namibia—and offering a novel analytical framework—Peter VonDoepp illuminates why power holders behave as they do toward the courts. VonDoepp considers whether and why political leaders have respected or undermined judicial autonomy in each of the three cases. He also addresses how the courts themselves have shaped executive-judicial relations. His findings present unexpected challenges for existing frameworks, as well as important lessons about the factors and conditions affecting judicial development in transitional states.
Tracing the trajectory of postcolonial politics, Makau Mutua maps the political forces that have shaped contemporary Kenya. He also critically explores efforts on the part of both civil society and the political opposition to reform the state. Analyzing the tortuous efforts since independence to create a sustainable, democratic state, he uses the struggle over constitutional reform as a window for understanding the larger struggles confronting Kenyan society.
Why do some African states commit more effectively than others to the fight against AIDS? How do power inequalities and decisionmaking institutions shape Africa's ability to combat the disease? Within the context of debates about the nature of the African state, its relations with civil society, and its reliance on external donors, Amy Patterson presents a systematic study of African state efforts to battle the AIDS epidemic. Patterson directly tackles the topics of power, representation, accountability, and leadership. She closely examines the impact of formal and informal institutions, transitions to democratic governance, and pressures from the international community. Her focus on the politics of state actions brings to the forefront the crucial need for a new, constructive, and sustainable politicization of the struggle against AIDS.
