Cobra in the Boat is a riveting account of how one of Zambia's most controversial presidents got to power and how he governed while in office. Michael Chilufya Sata was a populist with huge ambitions for his country. Few of these ambitions were actually realized because of Sata's poor health and his premature death. The political chaos that followed the president's demise was a direct consequence of Sata's failure to pay attention to constitutional detail. The book shows how this crisis could have been averted. Sata's penchant for dismissing theoretical detail as a waste of time had consequences in other areas of national life. The ill-conceived pay rise for already privileged public servants, the arbitrary decision to institute an unaffordable minimum wage, and the hasty creation of a new province and several districts, were examples of decisions that could have benefitted from rigorous theoretical input before implementation. In the short time that Sata was in office, he missed many opportunities to right historic wrongs and set Zambia on a firmer path to economic prosperity. Sata's performance while in office was as complex as his own personality. As mayor of Lusaka in the early days of his political career, Sata developed a reputation for financial prudence, but as president of the republic he was profligate and often erratic. Despite this Sata did manage some successes while serving as fifth president.

Sata was a giant figure in Zambia's political landscape for over thirty years. Reginald Ntomba argues that 'how Sata became president is as thought-provoking a story as what he did with the power he had spent decades fighting for'. He explores the political journey of Michael Sata from councillor to president of Zambia, relating Sata's policies and approaches to theories of populism. In opposition Sata promised the electorate more money in their pockets. In power he tried to improve the lives of the poor and underprivileged, and to develop the country through huge infrastructure projects. But he incurred massive debts, ran a chaotic government and refused others in politics the freedoms he had enjoyed. His term in office was cut short by sickness and finally his death.

After reviewing just part of this book's contents, Rex Mudenda - a risk-management professional and Lusaka based avid reader of political science literature - states This book is loaded. There is usually no such a cocktail of prominent personalities covered in one book. I kept on salivating on the featured names under the "Conversations" section. The book has captured a good slice of Zambia's political story. Mulenga Kapwepwe, a prolific Zambian author, states: A page turning thriller of historical, social and political value. Each prominent personality comes alive through Amos Malupenga's compelling narrative, allowing us rare glimpses into their personal experiences and connections to pivotal events that have impacted and coloured our fascinating national story. The above is an apt description of this book's contents. They are as intriguing as they are gripping. Because of the "cocktail" of the personalities featured, one can safely say "these are several books in one." On the basis of these conversations with most of the political figures, the author has taken the liberty to draw a parallel between democracy and theocracy. In so doing, the author concludes that from the beginning of human history, even the best human governments (democracies) have failed to solve mankind's serious problems because of bad leadership owing to the inherent imperfection as a result of sin. The bad leadership "is increasingly proving to be one of the root causes of all evil in human societies" across the entire inhabited earth. Consequently, the author asserts that theocracy is the panacea, the universal cure, the perfect solution and sovereign remedy to mankind's problems - be they big or small.

Forthright and upstanding, Levy was never afraid to speak his mind. He instilled a culture of transparency in his government and cracked down on corruption, launching the biggest anti-corruption campaign in Zambia. He espoused the values of clean governance as one of the critical requirements for the development and reconstruction of the African continent. Thabo Mbeki, South African President, September 3, 2008 I bring to the people of Zambia and family of President Mwanawasa, now the deceased, the sympathies and condolences of the brothers and sisterly people of Zimbabwe over the very sad loss of a great man whose work was aimed not only at the development of Zambia but our region as a whole. We shall all certainly miss this great colleague who was always very frank and courageous in expressing his honest views. May God rest him in eternal peace.' President Robert Mugabe, September 2, 2008, his message in the book of condolences at State House in Lusaka It's a hard blow, an extremely hard blow. Who can deny what a blow President Levy Mwanawasa's death is to our country, to our people, to our struggles, how much it means to no longer be able to count on his support, his experience, his inspiration, the strength of his character and reputation, which instilled fear in crooks, in the corrupt, the plunderers? It is a fierce blow, a very hard one. But we are sure that he, more than anyone, was convinced that what is more important is not man's physical life but rather his conduct. This is the only way to explain and understand how Levy's absolute contempt for crooks, thieves and plunderers fits in with his personality and actions. Fred M'membe, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of The Post, August 19, 2008, on the death of Levy Mwanawasa 'A life of great patriotism and pan-Africanism and a life of service to one's people, turning to development that targets the people, a life of honesty, integrity and service without discrimination. His love of all the citizenry has been unprecedented? Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, September 2, 2008

With more in-depth coverage of current political controversies than any other reference guide, 'Political Handbook of the World 2012' is the most authoritative source for finding complete facts and analysis on each country's governmental and political makeup.

The Africa Yearbook covers major domestic political developments, the foreign policy and socio-economic trends in sub-Sahara Africa – all related to developments in one calendar year. The Yearbook contains articles on all sub-Saharan states, each of the four sub-regions (West, Central, Eastern, Southern Africa) focusing on major cross-border developments and sub-regional organizations as well as one article on continental developments and one on European-African relations. While the articles have thorough academic quality, the Yearbook is mainly oriented to the requirements of a large range of target groups: students, politicians, diplomats, administrators, journalists, teachers, practitioners in the field of development aid as well as business people.

The Political Handbook of the World provides timely, thorough, and accurate political information, with more in-depth coverage of current political controversies than any other reference guide. The updated 2018-2019 edition will continue to be the most authoritative source for finding complete facts and analysis on each country’s governmental and political makeup. Compiling in one place more than 200 entries on countries and territories throughout the world, this volume is renowned for its extensive coverage of all major and minor political parties and groups in each political system. It also provides names of key ambassadors and international memberships of each country, plus detailed profiles of more than 30 intergovernmental organizations and UN agencies. This comprehensive update will include coverage of current events, issues, crises, and controversies from the course of the last two years, including: Elections across Europe Referendum in Ireland Rohingya genocide in Myanmar The Venezuelan dictatorship The renaming of Swaziland to eSwatini Qatar diplomacy changes Historic meeting between the United States and North Korea Establishment of a new governing coalition in Liberia

This book investigates China’s emergence as an outside player in SSA over the last several decades and the current understanding of the impact of Beijing’s growing presence on the continent, including several case studies focused on specific SSA countries. China’s accelerating economic and political engagement with sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has gained growing attention in political and academic circles as a topic of both praise and derision. China has become the standard bearer of rising powers emerging from the developing world, and has begun to make inroads in its effort to secure strategic natural resources in a region traditionally dominated by the status quo powers of the West. Publications concerning Sino-African relations have increased rapidly over the last decade. Instead of asking whether or not China’s role in SSA is a positive for the continent’s political, economic and social development, this book focuses on often overlooked African publics and how they perceive China’s engagement. Moreover, instead of constructing a uniform “China meets Africa” narrative, this work examines China’s presence in sub-Saharan Africa on a country-by-country basis, accounting for the intensity of Chinese engagement, the country’s domestic political institutions, and the way in which political entrepreneurs within these systems choose to utilize Chinese involvement as an instrument of political mobilization. It will be of interest to scholars and policy-makers concerned with Africa and China's development and international relations. ​