I. B. Tauris & Company Angola at the Crossroads: Between Kleptocracy and Development

Review In this brilliant work, Dr Rui Santos Verde portrays the last years of the Dos Santos family's power until its removal, and the rugged beginnings of the so-called Transition. A passionate narrative that guides us through the intricacies of Angolan law and economics, demonstrating total mastery of sources, combined with a rare power of analysis.Angola at Crossroads reads with as much pleasure as it does with benefit, constituting a provocative reflection, now when some distressing questions about the future of Angola arise.Indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand what is to come. --Filipe Delfim Santos, Head of the Angola Research Network, PhD, University of Canterbury: Christchurch, NZ Product Description Angola is poised between a past marked by civil war and corruption, and a future of potential economic development. This book examines the post-Civil War period which began in 2002 and saw the rise of a corrupt ruling elite, as well as recent developments in the country. These include the efforts of the current President, João Lourenço, to reform the regime through political openness, economic growth and a crackdown on corruption. Rui Santos Verde analyses the country's recent history of corruption and the current attempts at reform in order to determine whether economic and political development is on the horizon for Angola, or whether these reforms are simply a move towards consolidating President Lourenço's personal power. About the Author Rui Santos Verde is Visiting Fellow/Academic Visitor at the African Studies Centre of the University of Oxford. He is Chief-Legal Adviser of MakaAngola, the main entity that promotes democracy, human rights and fights corruption in Angola directed by Rafael Marques, one of the hundred most influential Africans in the world (Jeune Afrique, 2019). In addition, he is non-resident researcher at the University of Johannesburg and is founder of the Angola Research Network and Member of the Royal African Society.