Through essays by 19 leading political analysts of Nigeria, this book offers an innovative, multidisciplinary study of the historical, social, and economic roots of both the effort and failure to create democracy in Nigeria. Two major episodes of transition to democracy (both ultimately unsuccessful) are studied in detail, as are the ingenious provisions of Nigeria's three democratic constitutions. New interpretations of the pattern of regional and ethnic interaction and conflict are developed, as is a fascinating view of the inter-relation between military rule and resurgent religious strife. The outlooks - for democracy, internal peace, and continued national existence - are assessed.