Book Review: Paola Caridi, Hamas: From Resistance to Government? (Jerusalem: PASSIA Publications, 2010, 320 pp., £25.00 pbk)
| Published date | 01 September 2011 |
| DOI | 10.1177/03058298110400011209 |
| Author | Benedetta Voltolini |
| Date | 01 September 2011 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
200 Millennium: Journal of International Studies 40(1)
can be taken seriously as regional leaders. Having considered the two countries separately,
Adebajo then raises the possibility that South Africa and Nigeria could work in tandem as
‘an axis of virtue’ and provide leadership through the AU. This is contrasted with an
enquiry into the attempts to gain influence in Africa by the ‘axis of evil’ – the unholy trin-
ity of France, China and the USA. The section ends with a chapter that compares the
mercantilist policies of the ‘springbok’ (South Africa) and the ‘dragon’ (China). This is
perhaps the strongest section of the book, offering an excellent insight into the politics of
leadership in Africa and the implications of external interference for the continent.
The final section, on Africa’s quest for unity, is intriguingly presented through four
chapters based around six Africa-related figures: Cecil Rhodes, Nelson Mandela, Kwame
Nkrumah, Thabo Mbeki, Barack Obama and Mahatma Gandhi. In the chapter that deals
with the ‘Monstrous Marriage’ of Cecil Rhodes and Nelson Mandela in the creation of
the Mandela Rhodes Foundation in 2002, Adebajo contrasts the two figures in an
extremely black and white (both literally and metaphorically) fashion which, arguably,
makes this the weakest section of the book. Adebajo accuses Mandela of doing long-term
damage by ‘papering over racial differences’ (p. 230) and not forcing whites to show
more contrition towards black victims of apartheid. However, he does not consider that
doing so would once again put colour at the heart of South African politics, which would
be an interesting position from an academic who was once himself a Rhodes Scholar.
The chapter devoted to Barack Obama focuses less on how his presidency affects African
international relations and more on the cult of the (black) personality that surrounds
Obama, again weakened by anecdotal references. In the final chapter – entitled the ‘Heirs
of Gandhi’ (p. 313) and examining the relationship between Africa and Asia – we might
question how far China and Japan could be considered Gandhi’s heirs.
Overall, this volume provides a fascinating insight into contemporary issues affecting
African international relations, and the security–hegemony–unity framework used has the
potential to become a powerful tool for analysis. However, the frequent references to
popular culture and the handling of unity by focusing on the cult of the personality suggest
that this book is perhaps intended more for general, rather than specialist, audiences.
Suda Perera
Suda Perera is a PhD candidate and a lecturer in ‘Conflict and Security in Africa’ at the
University of Kent, UK.
Paola Caridi, Hamas: From Resistance to Government? (Jerusalem: PASSIA Publications, 2010, 320
pp., £25.00 pbk).
Since the beginning of the Second Intifada and its rise to power in 2006, the Harakat
al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah–better known under the acronym Hamas–has become a
key actor in the Middle East and, more specifically, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Many political and journalistic accounts tend to consider Hamas a terrorist organisation,
with the consequence being that the movement has been banned and ostracised by gov-
ernments uneasy at the thought of engaging it. By contrast, one side of the academic
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