Third World Politics: An Introduction

by Christopher Clapham

“Extremely readable and worthwhile. . . . Clapham’s work provides a balanced and insightful perspective of an area which is as complex and diverse as the many countries which comprise its whole.”— Journal of International Law & Politics

“To write a summary of Third World Politics is a nearly impossible task. . . . Professor Clapham has been able to present a challenging analysis that is worthy of attention. . . . This book is recommended to any Latin Americanist who wishes to put Latin America in the context of the Third World. It is written in clear English without complex statistical data.”— Latin America in Books

“It is precisely Christopher Clapham’s sense of the essence of politics that commends his useful little book. Although not specifically devoted to Africa, his first love does show through in many of the examples chosen. The essential practicality of his approach is well demonstrated in the fact that a third of the book is given over to three chapters ‘Managing the Statel,’ ‘Managing the Economy,’ and ‘Managing the External Political
Arena.’ ”—Richard Rathbone, The International Journal of African Historical Studies

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 1985

Reviews

[Muhammad Zaman]

Good source for Bigners to understand the phenomenon of political structure and functions of postcolonial countries. It also provides extensive information about the impact of colonialism on the lives of third world countries.

[Jimmy Head]

Dated. Five minor references to Islam. Academic. Bears little connection to now, unlike Peter Mansfield's The Arabs, published around the same time. Reads like it described a parallel universe.
No prescience. Combined all poor countries into a common narrative. Rescued from the used book store discard bin, at least it established the think tank zeitge1st of the time, 1985.