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This edited volume examines the cases of four African military leaders who had enormous impact on the continent and beyond. These military officers, and later heads of state -- Jerry Rawlings of Ghana; Moammar Gaddafi of Libya; Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso; and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt - were provocative and polarizing figures, beloved domestically but mostly viewed with suspicion and hostility by foreign governments. This volume studies these leaders as a group, engaging in a critical but systematic examination of their personalities, leadership styles, official performance, legacies, and their continuing impact on the future and political destiny of the continent. Providing a survey of controversial but important African political figures, this volume will be of use to scholars and students in the social sciences, especially those interested in African history, African studies, military science, Black studies, political science, leadership studies, and the politics of developing nations.
List of contents
Section One: Military Engagement And Leadership In Africa.- 1. The Colonial Origins of African Military and Its Implications for African Politics.- 2. A Survey of Military Coup D'état 1953-2021.- 3. The Political Economy of Colonial and Post-Colonial African Military.- 4. Post-Colonialism and Elite Contestation for Political Power in Africa.- 5. Leadership, Unconstitutional Changes and Functions of Governments in East Africa.- Section Two: The Revolutionary Comrades In Ghana And Burkina Faso.-6. Jerry Rawlings and Thomas Sankara: Intellectuals, Populists, Revolutionaries, Pan-Africanists.- 7. Third Era of Jerry Rawlings as a Democratic President (1993-2001): Ideology and Leadership Style.- 8. Thomas Sankara: A Brief Biography.- 9. A Review of Thomas Sankara's Engagement with Education and Culture During the Burkina Revolution: 1983-1987.- 10. Thomas Sankara: Ideology and Leadership Style.- 11. Thomas Sankara: Mixed Legacies of a Charismatic Statesman.- Section Three: The Colonel And The Iconoclast In The Desert.-12. Muammar Gaddafi: An Assessment.- 13. NATO and Libya: A Decade of Instability and Unrest.- 14. Psycho-Biographical Analysis in International Politics: A Focus on Moammar Ghaddafi.- 15. Gaddafi, Tito and Libyan Non-Aligned Policy.- Section Four: A Soldier From The Cradle Of Civilization.- 16. Gamal Abdel Nasser: A Hero in the African and Arab World.- 17. Gamal Abdel Nasser: Hero in Arab Maghreb and Mashreq.- 18. The Sons of the Revolution: Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim Hafez and the Nasserist Regime: Between Artistic Agency and Nationalism.- 19. Egypt and the Arab World: Five Decades After Nasser.
About the author
Sabella Ogbobode Abidde is Professor of Political Science and a member of the graduate faculty at Alabama State University, US, where he teaches courses in comparative politics, international relations, African politics and institutions, and the politics of developing nations. Dr. Abidde is an interdisciplinary scholar with a Ph.D. in African Studies, World Affairs, Public Policy and Development Studies from Howard University. His scholarship includes published volumes on Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He is editor of the Springer book series Africa-East Asia International Relations.
Felix Kumah-Abiwu is an Associate Professor at the Department of Africana Studies at Kent State University in the United States. He is also the Founding Director of the Center for African Studies at Kent State. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from West Virginia University. His research focuses on political leadership in Africa, the politics of development, African security issues, elections and democratization, foreign policy analysis, African American males/public education, global narcotics policy, and African-centered theories.
