The Tragedy of Madagascar: An Island Nation Confronts the Twenty-first Century

Adams’s general introduction to a country that remains largely ignored by English-language scholars and journalists is welcome. The first half of the book covers the country’s political history, with a focus on the decades-long conflicts between the three heavyweights of postcolonial Malagasy politics: Didier Ratsiraka (president from 1975 to 1993 and 1997 to 2002), Marc Ravalomanana (president from 2002 to 2009), and Andry Rajoelina (president from 2009 to 2014 and currently in power since 2019). As Adams makes clear, electoral politics in the country have been dominated by intra-elite personal conflicts and successive governments have been self-serving and ineffective. The book improves once Adams turns his gaze to the country’s long unaddressed economic and social problems. An excellent final chapter focuses on the southern half of the island, which faces a looming environmental disaster thanks to a combination of global warming and the central government’s persistent neglect.