The central theme of this book is that illicit financial flows prevent African countries from fulfilling the right to development. The book's 14 articles are written mostly by people with a background in law and human rights. This emphasis on the right to development is one reason why many of the articles reference United Nations and African Union (or its predecessors) treaties and charters, and specific articles within them. The definition of illicit financial flows and their cost to Africa are given repeatedly, along with their relationship to the right to development. Multinational corporations, financial institutions, and other actors outside Africa are seen as aiding and abetting the illicit financial flows; their cooperation is necessary for these flows to end. The authors give specific attention to events in Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda with regard to illicit financial flows; they also supply more general articles on the topic. [Illicit] financial flows is an important topic with a wider impact than their hurt to progress in African countries. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

Choice Reviews

Bringing together years of reflection in a rich volume, Christopher Colmo exemplifies how perceptive and learned readers can draw on thinkers from vastly different historical periods and intellectual traditions to revisit timeless philosophical questions. The reader of this volume will gain valuable insights by following this transhistorical dialogue between eminent thinkers masterfully curated by Christopher Colmo.

Rasoul Namazi, Duke Kunshan University

“Christopher Colmo’s book probes the fundamental question which, in contemporary thought, was first asked by Leo Strauss: Can we truly know what the right or best way of life is? He writes crisply and clearly in exploring this question and issues related to it, such as reason and revelation as well as ancients and moderns. He also argues resolutely in favor of the contention that the modern position (which asserts the ultimate priority of the practical) is virtually unavoidable. And he moves beyond even this contention to boldly investigate the unconventional thesis that the modern position itself began not with Machiavelli, Hobbes, or Descartes, but rather with the medieval Islamic thinker, Alfarabi. Colmo’s book consistently and uncompromisingly tracks this line of thought through studies of an impressively wide range of thinkers, from Thucydides to Voegelin. His assiduous readings, while certainly challengeable, make his book original and thoughtful-provoking, and likely to be controversial. In view of his basic premise—namely, that Leo Strauss asked about precisely the right thing—this book eminently deserves the attention of all those who recognize the abiding centrality of that fundamental question.”

Kenneth Green, University of Toronto

“These clearly written essays offer the reader thoughtful and thought-provoking analyses of important texts in political philosophy, from Thucydides, Plato and Aristotle to Farabi and Averroes, to Shakespeare, Marlowe, Descartes, Hobbes, Montesquieu, and Rousseau, to Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Voegelin and Strauss. They are the result of life-long reflection on questions of political philosophy, especially of philosophy and its relation to political life, and will be valuable reading to anyone interested in those vital questions.”

Timothy W. Burns, Baylor University

The insight and depth of Christopher Colmo’s discussion of theory and practice, reason and revelation, and ancients and moderns are unrivaled. Each essay has implications for all the others, and understanding comes only through the hard work and delight of thinking. The last essay, 'On Subjectivity,' comparing Socrates and Kierkegaard, is a gem that pulls all the strands of this book together.

Mary P. Nichols, Emerita Professor of Political Science at Baylor University

Christopher Colmo’s unfailingly provocative and insightful book centers around several essays on Alfarabi, which further establish his stature as an independent philosopher in the mold of Plato rather than unreliable transmitter of Greek and Muslim ideas. In addition, Colmo offers wide-ranging reflections on related topics in thinkers across the tradition, from Plato to Shakespeare to Heidegger.

Alexander Orwin, Louisiana State University