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November 29, 2021

Sudan’s army is at a stalemate, and the costs are mounting

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

August 10, 2021

Holding elections in Libya is not a solution to the country’s deep-seated problems

Hager Ali Only a few months remain before elections in Libya. But Western policymakers are focusing on election preparations and the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries, to the neglect of other pressing matters. Hager Ali argues that unless Libya tackles its political and military problems, elections may prove little more than a sticking plaster on a bullet wound Read more

July 29, 2021

Political institutions in authoritarian regimes may look democratic, but they reinforce the rulers’ power base

Zeynep Menteşoğlu Tardivo Zeynep Mentesoglu Tardivo analyses the role played by nominally democratic political institutions in authoritarian regimes. She argues that rulers design such institutions to consolidate their power base, even at the cost of economic and political development Read more

June 10, 2021

Dictators beware! Creating nominally democratic institutions won’t prevent your overthrow

Jun Koga Sudduth Does the creation of nominally democratic institutions help dictators stay in power by reducing the risk of coups d’etat? Jun Koga Sudduth analyses and categorises different types of coup, and their effects. In so doing, she confounds the conventional wisdom that democratic institutions reduce the likelihood of dictators being overthrown Read more

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