The Rationality and Reign of Paul Kagame

This chapter discusses how Paul Kagame is regarded both as a hero who ended the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and rebuilt his country and as a dictator responsible for serious human rights violations at home and abroad. Most rational choice perspectives that continue to dominate the debate assume that the goals of dictators stem out of innate self-interest. However, the proclaimed vision Kagame has for his country and the belief system from which he acts challenges this perspective. This chapter uses Max Weber’s work on rationality in order to analyse the motives that underlie Kagame’s rule. In doing so it nuances the prominent rational choice debate, in which ideology so often is neglected.