The Rise and Decline of the Zairian State

This epic account of Zanre's pillage by its president and his cohorts demonstrates how easy it is to destroy an economy but how hard to replace a regime which has eliminated virtually all alternatives to itself. The authors delineate the consequences of the mal Zanrois in pushing beleaguered peasants into cities, limiting upward mobility to the elite, universalizing "kleptocracy," ending government services and maintenance of infrastructure. Their depiction of how Mobotu has used fat times and lean to consolidate his control is likely to prove the definitive word on Zanre's leader and his country's dissolution.