| | This issue of ROAPE takes up a number of themes which have been a recurring concern of our contributors in the past. The pressures imposed by external forces and imperialist agencies, especially through the structural adjustment policies of the international financial institutions, are pervasive and inexorable, forming the context in which policy or political change must occur. But the internal impetus towards political change of state structures on the continent is also strong, particularly with regard to demands for popular participation. If external forces continue to take their toll, ongoing processes of change, particularly in the political realm, offer some room for cautious optimism. |
