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coups d'etat

May 13, 2024

♟️ Russia’s mercenaries are bolstering autocratic regimes in the Sahel

Marcel Plichta The spate of coups in the Sahel has been advantageous for Russia. Marcel Plichta and Christopher Faulkner argue that Moscow's mercenaries in the Sahel aren't to blame for the democratic retrenchment, but their presence is insulating and emboldening military dictators on their path to autocratic consolidation. Read more
March 26, 2024

🔮 Marching to the populist drum? The military's role in populist governance

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
February 20, 2024

There is a resurgence of military coups in Africa's Sahel region. Why?

Collins Molua Ikome Collins Molua and Gift Mwonzora argue that the decision by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to leave the Economic Community of West African States was a rash one, which may risk legitimising further coups. What's more, deteriorating diplomatic relations between these countries and the West could have knock-on effects for regional peace and security Read more
February 7, 2024

BRICS expansion: another sign of the world's de-westernisation?

Bernardo Jurema Bernardo Jurema places the recent BRICS expansion into appropriate historical context. It is, he argues, a project to de-westernise the world, opening up new possibilities, including de-colonialisation along the lines of previous historical attempts. It may not be everything that is needed, but it is a significant step forwards Read more
November 7, 2023

Explaining the reasons for recent military coups in Africa

Reuben Twinomujuni Why has West Africa experienced so many military coups over the past couple of years? Reuben Twinomujuni and Hannah Muzee say the inadequacies of the African Union are only part of the problem. They argue that the phenomenon is also to the result of internal and external forces that impede united African action Read more
February 21, 2023

♟️ Brazil’s 8 January insurrection: distinguishing coup advocacy from coup attempt

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
December 23, 2022

♟️ Let’s not overlook classic authoritarians! Understanding Thailand's political regime

Thareeat Laohabut The fashion for seeing all authoritarian regimes through the lens of ‘democratic backsliding’ or ‘autocratisation’ has overshadowed our understanding of the strategies of classic authoritarians. Thareerat Laohabut uses the case of Thailand to illustrate this problem, showing how civil-millitary relations supporting the regime have been inadequately understood Read more
August 12, 2022

♟️ Before categorising autocracies, we need to count them accurately

Edward Goldring Hager Ali launched this series by pointing out that 'we lack the terminology to do anything beyond counting non-democracies'. Yet Edward Goldring argues that we sometimes struggle to accurately do that. This raises troubling questions for analyses of non-democracies – and emphasises the importance of studying history Read more

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