ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book shows how the happy combination of several elements has made Burkina a relative African success story. The lack of significant challenge to the legitimacy of the state also accounts in part for Burkina's relatively good governance, characterized by the absence of patrimonialism and of corruption and by the presence of a surprisingly efficient civil service. Yet for all its social, governmental, and economic successes, Burkina remains susceptible to most of the plagues that recurrently afflict the continent. President Yameogo was an obscure politician who first came to politics in 1957, just three years before independence, and reached the pinnacle of power without popular mandate and only after substantial parliamentary maneuvering. Instability has also taken the form of military factionalism. President Compaore is a consummate politician, aware of the desire of donor countries to see more signs of democracy in Africa.
