Includes bibliographical references and index.

The polity as family and fortress -- Phallic symbols in politics and war -- The resurrection of the warrior tradition -- Conflict in Africa : an overview -- Conflict and the bondage of boundaries -- Nationalism, ethnicity and violence : the culture and ethnicity of combat -- Liberation wars as clashes of civilizations : from Nelson Mandela to Yasir Arafat -- Nationalism, power and Africa at war : in search of pan-African solutions -- Towards postcolonial pacification : Africa between war and peace -- Numerical strength and nuclear status in the politics of the third world -- The barrel of the gun and the barrel of oil -- The computer culture and nuclear power : African implications -- Africa in a world of disorder : waning racism and waxing culture conflict -- Between global governance and global war : Africa before and after September 11 -- Conflicts of identity and conflicts of values : Africa between ethnicity and religion.