Political Science
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Item Citizen revolution in Tunisia and regional contagion: lessons for sub-Saharan Africa(2012) Johnson, I. A.The citizen revolution in Tunisia played a significant role in the changing pattern of politics in North Africa. This article contends that the paternalistic, autocratic and undemocratic nature of North African leaders was responsible for the poor quality and maldistribution of resources among citizens. The revolution which began in Tunisia with a suicide, spread through the region as experienced in Egypt, Algeria and Libya. Across the region, the revolution was inspired by the same social and economic factors, including high unemployment, poverty, decline in real indicators of development and state repression of the opposition. Using the frustration - aggression theory, the paper posits that relative deprivation is a background factor for citizen revolution. Thus, individuals with high expectations are more likely to become frustrated when experiencing hardship and such feelings can drive individuals to address their grievances. Applied to sub-Saharan Africa, the revolution portends a reoccurrence of such phenomenon. This is because authoritarianism, sit-tight governments, succession crisis, corruption and economic inequalities are common endemic problems in the region. The paper concludes that urgent political and economic reforms within the context of good governance will be an antidote for citizen revolution in the current global orderItem The political economy of military coup in Guinea: lessons for African states(2010-11) Johnson, I. A.The paper explores political issues in the context of Africa’s generally poor economic performance. With the coup in Guinea following the death of Lansana Conte, it is very clear that a mere transition to democratic governance is no guarantee that military coups will not occur in Africa. Although a military coup is regrettable and unacceptable, equally regrettable is the fact that coup offered an oppressed people the only platform for change and liberation as the democratic door has been shut. Since independence, African states have still not taken off economically. This has been attributed to corruption, repressive and personal rule of African leaders. The consequences have been political instability, poverty, diseases and underdevelopment. As a result, one way to reflect upon the recent coup in Guinea is to critically analyse how political and economic situations express and contribute to such phenomenon. However, Guinea represents a microcosm of Africa. The paper concludes that the only way to prevent coup as a recurring decimal in Africa is for African leaders to strengthen democracy and economic policies within the context of good governance, accountability and transparency