The Wonga Coup & In Search of Enemies.

Last Friday I handed in my dissertation proposal (see here) and therefore did some recreational reading:

In Search of Enemies [*]

This book is written by John Stockwell; a former CIA officer and Chief of the Angola Task Force managing the Agency's 1975 covert operation during the Angolan civil war. He became a critic of the United States' government policies, resigned and wrote the only detailed, insider's account of a major CIA covert operation. The book includes many interesting parts. For example, Stockwell mentions how a colleague CIA officer told him one night in Lubumbashi (Congo) how he had Patrice Lumumba's body in the trunk of his car. Even today - despite evidence that there has been several CIA plots to kill Lumumba - the US maintains it had no direct role in his eventual death. Combined with many practical examples on how to 'misinform' US Congress and conduct a covert operation, this is a great read.

The Wonga Coup [**]

In March 2004, Equatorial Guinea was the target of a planned coup d'etat by a group of British, South African and Zimbabwean mercenaries led by Simon Mann; a British mercenary and former British SAS officer. The country is tiny and its president - Obiang Nguema - is accused of cannibalism, mass murder, billion dollar corruption, and rule by terror. The reason for the coup... oil. The coup, however, failed and Mann had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea, before receiving a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds on 2 November 2009. Adam Roberts does a great job in discussing the run up and the aftermath of the coup. Note: Please read Frederick Forsyth's "The Dogs of War" first; it described an attempt by mercenaries to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea in 1972. The similarities is scary.

As a final note: Obiang is still in power and - from wrongingrights - recently visited the United States and took some pictures with the Obamas... oil.

[*] John Stockwell. 1978. In Search of Enemies. New York: Norton.

[**] Adam Roberts. 2006. The Wonga Coup. New York: Perseus.