The mind of the African strongman.

AuthorQuainton, Anthony
PositionBook review

Herman J Cohen, The Mind of the African Strongman: Conversations with Dictators, Statesmen, and Father Figures, New Academia Publishing/Vellum, 2015, ISBN-13: 978-098643530, 288 pp. $34.00 (Hardcover), $24.00 (Paperback)

In the course of a forty-year career working on and in Africa Ambassador Herman "Hank" Cohen was called upon to deal with more than his share of renowned scoundrels, unabashed autocrats and charismatic leaders. In this book of recollections Ambassador Cohen recounts his personal interactions with fifteen African leaders from French, British and Portuguese Africa. The majority of these men, most of whom were the founder presidents of their respective countries, considered themselves endowed with a special mandate to rule their subject populations whom they often regarded as little more than children. Personal aggrandizement and enrichment were more often than not their principal achievements. Some were Marxist Leninists, some devout Christians, both Catholic and evangelical, many were tribal leaders, and others were sophisticated and skilled politicians. Some were educated in France or England or Portugal while others had little formal training. All reveled in the power that they enjoyed and all justified their policies, however selfish, in terms of the welfare of their citizens.

Ambassador Cohen's book has several important aspects. At the beginning of each chapter there is a succinct description of the history leading to the leader's rise to power. These are invaluable thumbnail sketches of the process of decolonization in Africa. The second part of each chapter is Cohen's own personal interaction with these leaders. His access to them was extraordinary. He could talk to them on the phone or in person. Their doors were almost always open to him, and he was able to give them advice, both solicited and unsolicited. He would meet them in their offices, their country retreats, or semi-clandestinely in hotel rooms. Cohen describes these relationships in matter of fact terms, as though this level of access was nothing exceptional. These leaders invariably referred to him as "Secretary" Cohen in recognition of the role that he played in the making and implementation of American African policy. In fact, this unique intimacy was a reflection of his profound commitment to Africa and his understanding of the idiosyncrasies of each leader, acquired over a lifetime, beginning as a junior officer and running through his time as Senior...

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