Top 10 books about neocolonialism | Susan Williams

Decades of economic imperialism and conditional aid have inspired authors from Ngg wa Thiong'o to Graham Greene to explore continued western control

The nations of Africa waved a joyful goodbye to their European occupiers in the second half of the 20th century. But in many cases, their freedom was short-lived: for after the colonisers had left through the front door, they returned quietly round the back. And this time the US came, too - the new and hungry kid on the block, collaborating with big business and local elites to exploit Africa's rich resources.

This process underpins White Malice, my account of the CIA's secret infiltration into the newly free nations of Africa. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, watched in dismay as new states became independent in theory, with all the outward trappings of international sovereignty", but their economic and political policies were directed from outside. This, he lamented, is the essence of neocolonialism".

White Malice by Susan Williams is published by Hurst. To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.