Spear and Scepter: Army, Police, and Politics in Tropical Africa

Spear and Scepter: Army, Police, and Politics in Tropical Africa, by Ernest W. Lefever (Brookings Institution, 251 pp., $6.50).

An unblinking look at the realities of independent Africa, and in strong contrast to the revolutionary romanticism of another look at the same subject, Ruth First’s Power in Africa, also just published. While passionately advocating “modernization,” Miss First excoriates everything Western as “neo-colonialism.” But “modernization” is to a large degree inescapably Westernization, as Dr. Lefever amply demonstrates. After an excellent opening essay on the difficulties of nation building in the presence of ethnic fragmentation, he examines specifically Ghana, the Congo and Ethiopia; in fascination we watch the bits and pieces of our confused memories of their recent history fall into a coherent pattern. Dr. Lefever, paradoxical as it may sound, concludes that, despite the plethora of coups, the armies in the new states contribute to political stability and development and reinforce moderation in external policy.

EM

About the Author

E. B. Meyer

Featured Tags

Spear and Scepter: Army, Police, and Politics in Tropical Africa, by Ernest W. Lefever (Brookings Institution, 251 pp., $6.50).

An unblinking look at the realities of independent Africa, and in strong contrast to the revolutionary romanticism of another look at the same subject, Ruth First’s Power in Africa, also just published. While passionately advocating “modernization,” Miss First excoriates everything Western as “neo-colonialism.” But “modernization” is to a large degree inescapably Westernization, as Dr. Lefever amply demonstrates. After an excellent opening essay on the difficulties of nation building in the presence of ethnic fragmentation, he examines specifically Ghana, the Congo and Ethiopia; in fascination we watch the bits and pieces of our confused memories of their recent history fall into a coherent pattern. Dr. Lefever, paradoxical as it may sound, concludes that, despite the plethora of coups, the armies in the new states contribute to political stability and development and reinforce moderation in external policy.