Books by Christopher (Lancaster University) Clapham

Very similar in some ways, but strikingly different in others, Sierra Leone and Liberia have an obvious appeal for comparative analysis. They share the legacy of foundation by immigrants of African descent and the juxtaposition of these with indigenous peoples, but within the contrasting institutional frameworks of settler independence and British colonialism.

African independence launched into international politics a group of the world's poorest, weakest, and most artificial states. Christopher Clapham shows how an initially supportive international environment has become increasingly threatening to African rulers and the states over which they preside.