“One of the finest books on post-independence African politics that has yet appeared, even though the tale it has to tell is, from a humanitarian perspective, resolutely bleak. . . . Young and Turner are to be congratulated on a major contribution to the study of African politics.”—Africa
"This is it, the one best book on Zaire, combining lucid writing, a comprehensive research basis, and a theoretical underpinning of impressive elegance. If time is limited, read chapters 2, 10, 12 and the conclusions. If money is limited, spend on nothing else except this work; it is the overwhelmingly most useful and complete guide toward understanding contemporary Zaire."—School of Area Studies Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State