Magnificent and Beggar Land

Angola since the Civil War

de Oliveira Ricardo Soares

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Based on three years of research in and extensive first-hand knowledge of Angola, "Magnificent and Beggar Land" is the definitive account of the fast-changing dynamics of this important yet misunderstood African state; a major exporter of oil, minerals and other raw materials and a growing power in the region. It documents the rise of a major African economy and its insertion in the international system.

The government, backed by a strategic alliance with China and working hand in glove with hundreds of thousands of expatriates, many from the former colonial power, Portugal, has pursued an ambitious agenda of state-led national reconstruction. This has resulted in double-digit growth in Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest economy and a state budget in excess of total western aid to the entire continent.

Scarred by a history of slave trading, colonial plunder and war, Angolans now aspire to the building of a decent society. Soares de Oliveira's book charts the remarkable course the country has taken in recent years.

About the Author

Ricardo Soares de Oliveira is Associate Professor in Comparative Politics, University of Oxford, fellow of St Peter´s College, Oxford, and fellow of the Global Public Policy Institute, Berlin. He is the author of "Oil and Politics in the Gulf of Guinea" and co-editor of "China Returns to Africa", both of which are published by Hurst.

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