Angola: The Anatomy of an Oil State (African Issues) [Paperback]

Tony Hodges (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2003

Praise for the first edition, Angola from Afro-Stalinism to Petro-Diamond Capitalism:

"While most interpretations of the situation in Angola agree that the country suffers from deep divisions that will not easily be overcome, few analysts have been able satisfactorily to explain why one of the potentially richest countries in Africa should be in such a wretched state. Tony Hodges's book is the first analytically to link together the various economic and political strands that must be examined in order to provide a plausible account of Angola's post-colonial tragedy." —Patrick Chabal, International Affairs

"... a brief account of how a state once run by Marxist poets, men of high ideals, has turned into another Nigeria." —Times Literary Supplement

"A veteran observer of Angola, Hodges covers the whole appalling mess with notable detachment." —Foreign Affairs

Updated and revised following the death of Jonas Savimbi and the suppression of the UNITA rebels, this new edition discusses prospects for using Angola's oil wealth to end the country's staggering poverty, rising illiteracy, and increasing child mortality.

Editorial Reviews

Review

While most interpretations of the situation in Angola agree that the country suffers from deep divisions that will not easily be overcome, few analysts have been able satisfactorily to explain why one of the potentially richest countries in Africa should be in such a wretched state. Tony Hodges' book is the first analytically to link together the various economic and political strands that must be examined in order to provide a plausible account of Angola's post-colonial tragedy...Hodges, whose deep knowledge of the country is obvious, has managed here to provide us, finally, with a single volume that does make sense of what has happened in this former Portuguese colony since its independence in 1975. - Patrick Chabal in INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ...a brief account of how a state once run by Marxist poets, men of high ideals, has turned into another Nigeria. Hodges describes the ways in which the ruling MPLA disburses favours - contracts, kickbacks, access to foreign exchange, scholarships, medical care abroad - to the members of the grandes familias, families who are, on the whole, from Louanda. - Sousa Jamba in THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT ... this book alleges that Angola's culture of political patronage and cronyism, and a web of secret accounts (the so called Bermuda Triangle), ensures that the $4bn of annual income derived from oil sales is never properly and publicly accounted for... The US already imports roughly as much oil from Africa (principally Nigeria) as it does from the Middle East, and that figure is set to grow when the huge ultra-deep off-shore reserves on Angola's Atlantic seaboard come into stream. AFRICAN BUSINESS Where Tony Hodges' book is strong is in moving us forward from the sterility of the civil war and of the debate between the entrenched position of antagonists...the thrust of Hodges' book is about the grossly unequal economic arrangements in this potentially rich country whereby the elite creams off the massive wealth generated by oil and diamonds and the poor have nothing...Hodges deals well with the ambiguities and complexities of the ethnic question in Angola...Hodges is equally deft on the oppressive nature of the regime, particularly when it feels under threat, and its increasingly presidential (and occasionally bizarrely populist) trajectory under Eduardo dos Santos. - Steve Kibble in DEMOCRACY & DEVELOPMENT --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Tony Hodges worked in Angola for United Nations agencies from 1994 to 1998. His earlier publications include Angola: Prospects for Recovery.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press; 2nd edition (October 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253216788
• ISBN-13: 978-0253216786
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > History > Africa > Angola

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Policy History, February 21, 2006

By 

Joel F. Hopkins "therealjoelhopkins" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angola: The Anatomy of an Oil State (African Issues) (Paperback)

In "Angola: The Anatomy of an Oil State," Anthony Hodges, describes, with exquisite detail, the rough transition to a Petro-Diamond economy in the worn-torn nation of Angola since the initiation of several peace agreements spanning the last decade. The book is a new edition of Hodges' 2001 text under a different title, "Angola: From Afro-Stalinism to Petro-Diamond Capitalism." The newer title is much more suitable as the previous title gave the impression that the history of the Marxist state of Augustino Neto is broadly covered, which it is not. The background history of Angola, for the most part, is summarized as Hodges focuses mainly on the last two decades of economic development. There are numerous tables and graphs, the text is well annotated, and it includes an excellent bibliography on the nation of Angola.

The book reads like a non-governmental organization policy paper at times, but I personally adore a dry style that dispenses with any distracting nuances. Several recent developments make this book a must-read for any students of economics and development in Africa. 1) Offshore petroleum and natural gas drilling, especially Ultra-Deep technologies, have rapidly increased off the Atlantic coast. Angola has pressed the corporations involved for a greater share in the development of its welfare infrastructure. Many of these corporations, notably Exxon-Mobile and BP, have agreed to develop the physical infrastructure, but have hesitated providing the manpower (doctors, nurses, teachers, etc.) necessary to staff these enterprises. 2) De Beers, the massive diamond corporation, has recently agreed to form a new diamond mining venture with the Angolan firm Endiama after having been forced out in 2001. Hodges' work in Angola: The Antomy of an Oil State, gives the proper history and context to understand these events.

Anthony Hodges was educated in economics at Oxford. As an associate at the Oxford Policy Management, Hodges specializes in the the post-colonial economies of Lusophonic Africa. He is currently at work advising the Department of Planning and Finance in the Republic of Mozambique.