Zaireisacountryatacrossroads-alandwithabundantagriculture,mineralandhumanresources,andyeteconomicallydeeplyparalysedandstrugglingtoimplementasuccessfulstrategyforsocialandeconomicdevelopment.TheseessaysbyZairianacademicsinthefieldsofpolitics,sociologyandeconomicsdescribepost-independencesocialstructures-sodamaginglyimitativeofcolonialpatterns-andtheinadquacyofthesingleParty-Stateregime,whichhasreplicatedwesterncapitalism.Theeducationalsystem,hardlychangedfromthatinheritedfromthecolonialpower,isdiscussed;andanup-to-dateeconomicanalysisofthecountrytodayisincluded.Arangeofmeasuresarerecommendedwhichcouldbeadoptedbyaresponsiblerulingclass;butfirstthey,andtheirwesternally,mustseriouslyaddressthequestions.