Democratization and Military Coups in Africa: Post-1990 Political Conflicts studies the seemingly endless cycle of coups that have occurred in Africa since the "Free Officers Coup" of 1952 in Egypt. Unfortunately, after more than three decades of the "third wave of democratization" that began in the 1990's, military coups remain a firm figure on the African political landscape. Although the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and its successor, the African Union (AU), have developed and implemented anti-coup norms, they have not deterred coup-makers. Contributors to this volume analyze the major fault lines in the body politics of African states that have created the conditions for coup-making and offer suggestions for ending the cycle of coups. Using countries such as Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and Sudan as case studies, each chapter studies the causes, effects, and evolution of military coups in Africa in order to show that eliminating military coups will require identifying and addressing the root causes of the coup in each affected state.
George Klay Kieh, Jr. is dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs and professor of political science at Texas Southern University, and professor in the Graduate Program in International Relations at the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU), Liberia. Kelechi A. Kalu is professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside.
Part I: Background Introduction: "No Farewell to Arms" in Africa? George Klay Kieh, Jr. and Kelechi Kalu Chapter 1: Coups d'etat: Theoretical Issues Kelechi Kalu Part II: Case Studies Chapter 2: Military Coup in Burkina Faso Daniel Eizenga Chapter 3: Governance, Democratization and Military Coups in Cote d'Ivoire Henry Kam Kah Chapter 4: The Military, the Developmental State and the 2013 Coup in Egypt Zeyad el Nabolsy Chapter 5: Post-Third Wave "Praetorianism" in Mauritania Boubacar N'Diaye Chapter 6: Post-1990 Military Coups in Sierra Leone Umar Salman Kamara Chapter 7: Military Intervention and the 2019 Coup in the Sudan Bitrus Nuhu Mailabari Part III: Toward the Prevention of Coups Chapter 8: The African Union's Anti-Coup Regime George Klay Kieh, Jr. Part IV: Lessons and Insights Conclusion: Toward Caging the Coup "Genie" in Africa George Klay Kieh, Jr. and Kelechi Kalu
In the transitory and dynamic world of scholarship, Democratization and Military Coups in Africa: Post-1990 Political Conflicts is a welcome re-engagement with the ever-present 'man on the horse back' in Africa's political vineyard. -- Dr. Sylvester Odion Akhaine, Lagos State University
