Built on the Ruins of Empire

Blake Whitaker is civilian analyst, US Department of the Army and Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) officer in the US Army Reserve.

Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. King's African Rifles, Independence, and Mutiny 2. The Zambia Army and the Consequences of Poor Policy 3. The Rhodesian Army and the Liberation Forces 4. How Do You Create an Army? British Postconflict Planning 5. The Rise of ZANLA Dominance in the ZNA and the Birth of the Fifth Brigade Conclusion: Military Assistance as a Diplomatic Weapon Notes Bibliography Index

"Whitaker's meticulous use of the historical sources and materials that are available to document how Britain's waning power and influence in Africa set the stage for the creation of new African armies in the 1970s and early 1980s makes Built on the Ruins of Empire an important contribution to the growing historiography of African military institutions in the twentieth century."--Journal of Military History "In Built on the Ruins of Empire, Blake Whitaker throws fresh light on British policy in postcolonial Africa by focusing on military assistance programs. These programs involved the inculcation of doctrine and training as much as arms transfers; they built on the residual influence and prestige of British traditions and procedures; and they reflected the persistence of imperial interests and global outlook in Whitehall into the late twentieth century. Whitaker underscores the limits and conundrums of military assistance, but he is neither dismissive nor cynical about the attractions. Considering recent events in Afghanistan, his book is as timely as it is original. Built on the Ruins of Empire will reward readers concerned with issues of security and state-building in the developing world as well as those interested in the history of British imperialism, decolonization in Africa, and the global Cold War."--Peter John Brobst, associate professor of history, Ohio University