Poor even by the standards of West Africa, Burkina Faso has been plagued by political instability since independence from France in 1960. It has suffered five military coups, the last of which cost the life of Thomas Sankara, who had waged war on poverty, corruption and illiteracy. Yet Burkina Faso's growth was surprisingly strong during the 1980s,
Pierre Englebert highlights the historical and contemporary factors that account for the Burkina Faso's, a country in West Africa, instability; considers the ethnic, religious, and social contours of its polity; examines its economic policies and prospects; and analyzes its external relations.
