Book excerpt: This edited volume analyzes African state responses to the AIDS epidemic. Institutionally weak, limited in resources and lacking power in the international system, the African state has been characterized as inefficient, corrupt and illegitimate. The volume questions how aspects of the African state have affected policy responses to AIDS. It highlights how African states must initiate, develop and/or implement the long-term policy solutions necessary to combat AIDS. It employs empirical studies from the international and national arena to illustrate why some African states have been able (and willing) to address AIDS while others have not. Contributions analyze how international actors, civil society organizations, state ideology, patriarchy and state capacity have influenced policies to fight AIDS. Examining AIDS policies through the prism of African state development and linkages to domestic and international actors, this book provides a nuanced understanding of the variety of responses to AIDS in Africa.