ABSTRACT
During the postindependence period, Uganda gained the reputation of being one of Africa's most violent and politically troubled countries. After seizing power in 1986, Yoweri Museveni promised to restore stability, rebuild the economy, and institute political reforms and a democratic form of government. Those taking a sympathetic point of view argue that the Museveni regime represents a fundamental change in the character of Uganda's political leadership. According to this interpretation, Museveni and his National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/A) have provided Uganda with its best and most effective government since independence. Critics, however, admonish Museveni for refusing to sanction multiparty elections, failing to stop government corruption, and pursuing an aggressive foreign policy, which many neighboring nations interpret as little more than an attempt to impose a Pax Uganda on eastern Africa. Despite its agricultural potential, Uganda is desperately poor and the economy is over dependent on declining coffee revenues.
