Michael Asiedu
Michael Asiedu argues that in Guinea and Gabon, judges are doing more than routine certification. By validating post-coup elections, courts transform military rulers into constitutional presidents — without requiring genuine democracy Read more
John Chin
Paul Biya, the world’s oldest head of state and the second-longest ruling leader in Africa, ran for a record eighth term earlier this month. John Chin and Julien Derroitte assess Cameroon’s prospects for peace and democracy in Africa’s turbulent coup belt Read more
Collins Molua Ikome
Collins Molua Ikome writes that the political and electoral landscape in Cameroon makes it impossible to defeat the ruling CPDM party in an election. Paul Biya's regime is exploiting the Anglophone conflict to consolidate power. A potential military coup in Cameroon is, however, unlikely Read more
Hakkı Taş
Recent data indicates that countries led by more populist leaders are less likely to have a military with veto power. Hakkı Taş explores the populist centralisation of power that fosters control over the military, and the impact on civilian oversight Read more
Hager Ali
The war in Sudan has passed the five-month mark, and peace efforts seem to have plateaued. Breaking down Sudan’s political system and transition since 2019, Hager Ali explains how defective interim governance enabled the violent power struggle between the country’s largest armed forces. She argues that past political systems could still undermine present peace efforts […] Read more
Jonathan Powell
Observers were quick to call the events on 8 January in Brazil a coup attempt. But Jonathan Powell and Salah Ben Hammou caution against conflating coup advocacy with coup attempts. Authoritarianism scholars should also note that usage of the term 'coup' has historically varied Read more
Hager Ali
A military coup on 25 October put an abrupt end to Sudan’s fragile democratic transition. Hager Ali argues that although the coup pre-empted a foreseeable power-transfer, the military also created a much bigger problem for itself. The same socio-political conditions that kept al-Bashir in power for decades now threaten the military’s capacity to govern Read more
Ziya Öniş
In recent years, Turkish foreign policy has oscillated between traditional alignments with the West, and a new Eastern orientation. Partnerships with Russia and China are becoming increasingly important, write Ziya Öniş and Mustafa Kutlay. Yet Turkey must be firmly anchored to the club of democratic states to regain its benign regional and global role Read more
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