Over the past two months, three academics turned heads of state have been in the limelight in different parts of the world, either seeking to drive radical change or being swept away by the tide of change. One is Ashraf Ghani, whose tenure as Afghanistan’s President came to an ignominious end on August 15 (the other two will feature in the questions below). The questions present a mixed bag of success and failure for academics in political office.
Questions
1) Starting with Ashraf Ghani, an anthropologist with a PhD from Columbia University in the U.S. He taught at Berkeley and Johns Hopkins before taking up a role in the World Bank as its lead anthropologist on the human dimension of economic programmes. He co-authored a book in 2008 after a stint as Afghanistan’s Finance Minister. What was the book all about? (The title is ironic under the current circumstances)
2) This retired professor of constitutional law helped write his country’s new constitution in 2014. He initiated drastic changes this July and now wants to change the constitution he helped draft. Who and which country?
3) He was mostly in exile in France for over three decades and was sentenced to death in absentia under the autocratic government in power back home. He invited comparisons to Nelson Mandela when he returned in 1991. During his time in France he earned a PhD in public law and taught at Sorbonne for years as an assistant professor of law whose subjects included human rights (ironic given later developments). He finally made it to power as president in 2010 and at the time he promised to unite his ethnically divided country like Nelson Mandela. Who and which country? (he’s been in the news this month)
4) He was nicknamed Cicero in school because of his love for Latin. He completed his master’s degree from Sorbonne in Paris. Returning home, he worked as a high-school teacher and was jailed for two years for ‘subversive teaching’. Back in France, he earned a PhD in history. Again in his country, he became director of the Institute of History, Art and African Archaeology at a leading university. This was followed by another foray into politics and exile. He finally became president in 2000 (until 2011). He was in the news this year for returning to his country, following a favourable court ruling after years in jail. Who and which country?
5) This acclaimed sociologist was an influential figure in ‘dependency theory’, which posited that poor countries could not develop as long as they were dependent on rich countries and their multinational giants. He co-authored Dependencia y Dessarrollo en America Latinia (Dependency and Development in Latin America), a seminal work on the theme. He was a university professor in his home country but was forced into exile for opposing the military dictatorship. He became a senator in the 1980s as his country transitioned to a democracy. As finance minister in the 1990s he tamed chronic inflation. He went on to serve two terms as President, guiding his country through an economic recovery. Who and which country?
6) His PhD dissertation at Oxford University in the 1960s was on ‘Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth’ in his country. He argued for promoting exports at a time when import substitution was the buzzword among policymakers in his country. He was a professor of international trade before joining the government in 1971 in the commerce and later finance ministry. He also headed the central bank before shifting from the bureaucracy to politics. Who and which country?
7) He is the only U.S. President to have earned a PhD. His dissertation at Johns Hopkins University titled Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics became influential in American political science at the time. He argued for a stronger executive and adoption of the British parliamentary system (he changed his mind later). While Congressional Government remains his most acclaimed work, he wrote several other books including a biography of George Washington. He became president of Princeton University before seeking political office. Who?
8) He is the only British Prime Minister with a PhD degree (University of Edinburgh) and spent his early career working as a politics lecturer. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer and then Prime Minister. Who?
9) Eric Williams’ PhD dissertation at Oxford University was turned into the book Capitalism and Slavery, which has been hailed for exploring how slavery propelled capitalism and bankrolled the industrial revolution (he argued that once capitalism was firmly established, slavery declined in the 19th century because it was no longer needed). After a few years teaching political science at the historically Black Howard University in Washington DC, he returned to his home country. He founded his country’s first political party, oversaw independence from Britain in 1962 and served as Prime Minister until his death in 1981. Name the country.
10) After a few years in a Jesuit seminary, he decided to pursue higher education. His final grade for graduation was a rare achievement and he was hailed by local newspapers. To secure a university appointment in economics, he produced dissertations on agriculture and the gold standard. He was made a full professor of economics by 1918. He went on to become Finance Minister, balancing the budget. He took over as Prime Minister in 1932 and continued until 1968. He formulated a new constitution, ensuring a conservative one-party state. His ideological framework is outlined in his 1939 book Doctrine and Action. Who and which country? (Hint: a democratic transformation took place in the country in the 1970s after his death)
11) He completed his PhD from Glasgow Caledonian University in 1999 on ‘The flexibility of Shariah’ with reference to his country’s experience. He was president of the Center for Strategic Research, an influential think-tank affiliated to his country’s government, for about 20 years. He’s written about ten books and dozens of academic articles. He was elected president of his country in 2013. Who and country?
12) Leopold Sedar Senghor was a Catholic who was initially enrolled in a seminary but decided to pursue higher education in France. In 1935 he became the first Black African to obtain the equivalent of a PhD in French grammar at the Sorbonne. He taught linguistics and grammar in schools in France and was a founder of the literary and intellectual Francophone movement known as Negritude, which took pride in Black identity and heritage. He achieved acclaim as a poet in French and was appointed chair of Negro-African languages and civilisation at the French school for colonial administrators. He was the first President of his country at Independence in 1960 and served until 1980. Which country?
13) This current Prime Minister has a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a professor at various universities before stints at the World Bank and Goldman Sachs. He went on to head his country’s central bank and then the European Central Bank. Who and which country?
14) She was a lecturer in political science from 1973 to 1981. She was the first woman to lead a party to electoral victory in her country. She served three terms as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2008. Despite her party’s electoral defeat in 2008, within months she was ranked the ‘Greatest Living’ person in her country in an online poll. She became the first woman to head the United Nations Development Programme but failed in her bid to become UN Secretary-General in 2016. Who is the former PM and from which country?
15) During the late 1980s and 1990s he was a professor of economics in his home country. He secured a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the U.S. in 2001, wrote books on development economics and served as a consultant for international organisations. He became Finance Minister in 2005. A year later he won the presidency and took his country in a more socialist direction. Currently he’s in exile in Belgium facing criminal charges back home. Who and which country? (though in exile he loomed large during the recent presidential vote)
If you have read this far (or otherwise) inviting you to subscribe and have a crack at answering the questions in the comments section. Looking forward to engage with you and drop further hints.
1. The book was about "Fixing Failed states"
2. I'm guessing Kais Saeed, Tunisia
3. Taking a guess - the President of Guinea who was recently overthrown in a coup (not sure about his name)
10. Salazar, the Portugeuese dictator
11. Hassan Rouhani
13. Mario Draghi, Italy
15. Carles Puigdemont, President of Catalonia
Tough one! I didn't expect there to be so many academics in national politics, though it is very unsurprising that many of them sound like petty tyrants. Only guessing for (6) - Dr. Manmohan Singh of India.