Coup d’etat is the sudden and illegal seizure of power in a state by a small group. Whether they succeed or fail, coups have far-reaching consequences for governance and economies. Understanding the causes, types, and outcomes of coups is vital for navigating global politics.
While the historical record shows that coups are a common occurrence, they don’t necessarily produce the iron-fisted juntas or long military dictatorships of yesteryear. In the past, many coups took place during periods of political instability or economic crisis, when governments were weakened and vulnerable to disruption by internal or external forces. The coups that have occurred most recently, however, are less likely to be a result of such external pressures and more often a result of domestic economic and social discontent.
The African continent has seen a high rate of coups in recent decades, fueled by rising poverty and corruption, deteriorating living standards, eroding government credibility, and the influence of global geopolitical rivalries between major powers (Cheeseman 2016). These factors can lead to political instability, in which discontented elites hijack the state to save it from a rogue leader. But the hijackers are often little better — or worse — than their rogue predecessors.
Although some citizens appreciate a coup at first, they soon become dissatisfied with prolonged ‘transitions’ and power-sharing arrangements that keep the military as a quasi-permanent force in their country’s politics. The AU and ECOWAS have begun to address the issue by developing plans for returning to civilian, democratic rule after a coup. But to work, these transitional plans must be implemented quickly and must ensure that elections are held on a timely basis.
About the Author
