<p>Known as "the Leopard," the president of Zaire for thirty-two years, Mobutu Sese Seko, showed all the cunning of his namesake -- seducing Western powers, buying up the opposition, and dominating his people with a devastating combination of brutality and charm. While the population was pauperized, he plundered the country&apos;s copper and diamond resources, downing pink champagne in his jungle palace like some modern-day reincarnation of Joseph Conrad&apos;s crazed station manager.</p><p>Michela Wrong, a correspondent who witnessed Mobutu&apos;s last days, traces the rise and fall of the idealistic young journalist who became the stereotype of an African despot. Engrossing, highly readable, and as funny as it is tragic, <em>In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz</em> assesses the acts of the villains and the heroes in this fascinating story of the Democratic Republic of Congo.</p>