Democratization and Military Coups in Africa

Post-1990 Political Conflicts

Author: Kelechi A. Kalu, Zeyad el Nabolsy, Daniel Eizenga, Henry Kam Kah, Umar Salman Kamara, George Klay Kieh, Jr., Boubacar N'Diaye, Mailabari Bitrus Nuhu and George Klay Kieh Jr.

Democratization and Military Coups in Africa

Using countries such as Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and Sudan as case studies, this book 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.

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Summary

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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.

Critic Reviews

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

About the Author

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.