Debunking the myth of the 'good' coup d'État in Africa

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Periodical article

Title:	Debunking the myth of the 'good' coup d'État in Africa
Author:	Miller, Andrew C.
Year:	2010
Periodical:	African Studies Quarterly (ISSN 1093-2658)
Volume:	12
Issue:	2
Pages:	45-70
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Africa Niger
Subjects:	coups d'état democratization
External link:	http://asq.africa.ufl.edu/files/Miller-V12Is2.pdf
Abstract:	In response to the recent coup in Niger (18 February 2010), which ousted the country's president-turned-strongman Mamadou Tandja, the capital erupted in pro-coup demonstrations. Many commentators and foreign governments also showed tacit support for the junta. What is the likelihood that this coup and the other coup regimes in Africa will lead to the institutionalization of durable and stable democracies? Based on historical analysis of past African coups that brought brief democratic transitions, this article argues that it is unlikely. For the four African coups that briefly put in place democratic institutions - Sierra Leone (1968), Ghana (1978), Sudan (1985), and Niger (1999) - the juntas and proceeding civilian governments failed to address core political and economic issues, lacked durability, and did not engender long-term political stability. To further debunk the myth of the so-called 'good' coup d'état in Africa, this article also demonstrates that coup regimes, which consolidate governing authority in failed States, attempt to institutionalize autocracies. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]