The late South African president Nelson Mandela, recently released after twenty-seven years in prison, enters the State Department with Cohen at the beginning of his first official visit to the United States in March 1990.

Ending the War for Eritrean Independence: London, England, May 31, 1991. On Cohen's left is Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. On Cohen's right is Isayas Afwerki, President of Eritrea.

President Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d'Ivoire greets Assistant Secretary of State Cohen in Abidjan (1991).

With President Arap Moi of Kenya, 1990.

With F.W. de Klerk in May 1990.

With Mobutu, Mrs. Mobutu, and Mrs. Cohen at the White House in 1970.

With Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Secretary of State Baker in 1990.

Selected Praise for The Mind of the African Strongman

“…provides insight into the tension between dictatorship and democracy in post-colonial Africa…this often entertaining survey of recent African political history should interest both scholars and laypeople.” – Kirkus Reviews

“…an invaluable resource.” – J. Peter Pham, Director, Atlantic Council Africa Center

“A fascinating and clear-eyed book…a great read – I did so in a single sitting because I could not put it down.” – John Campbell, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, and former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria

“Ambassador Cohen illustrates the story of Africa’s post-independence era with insightful, candid, and often witty portraits of the continent’s most magnetic leaders.” – Richard Downie, Deputy Director and Fellow, Center for Strategic And International Studies (CSIS) Africa Program

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