Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is a renowned scholar of African politics and an international consultant specializing in public policy, governance and conflict-related issues. His distinguished scholarly career has included tenure as the James K. Batten Professor of Public Policy at Davidson College in North Carolina (1998-99); Professor of African Studies at Howard University (Washington DC) from 1978 to 1997; lectureships in the Congo (1970-75) and Nigeria (1977-78); and a visiting professorship at El Colegio de Mexico (summer 1987). He has also served as President of the African Studies Association (ASA) of the United States, 1987-88; Member of the Executive Committee of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), 1994-97; and President of the African Association of Political Science (AAPS) from 1995 to 1997.

In the political sphere, he has played a role in his own country's difficult transition from the Mobutu dictatorship - in 1992 he was a delegate to the Sovereign National Conference of Congo/Zaire; serving thereafter as Diplomatic Adviser to the Transitional Government of Prime Minister Etienne Tshisekedi; and in 1996 as Deputy President of the National Electoral Commission of the DRC and chief representative of the democratic opposition on the Commission.

His publications include:

The State and Democracy in Africa, co-editor, (AAPS Books, Harare, 1997; Trenton: Africa World Press, 1998)

The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World, section editor, (Oxford University Press, NY, 1993)

Conflict in the Horn of Africa, editor, (African Studies Association Press, Atlanta, 1991)

Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Africa, (Zed Books, London, 1987)

The Crisis in Zaire: Myths and Realities, editor, (Africa World Press, Trenton, 1986).

Introduction
1. Imperialism, Belgian Colonialism and African Resistance
2. The Struggle for Independence
3. The First Congo Crisis
4. The Second Independence Movement
5. The Mobutu Regime: Dictatorship and State Decay
6. The Struggle for Multiparty Democracy
7. Conflict in the Great Lakes Region
Conclusions