Are Coups Making A Comeback?

Axios: Coups are making a comeback 

Coups, which had seemed almost on course for extinction, are making a comeback.

By the numbers: Between 2015 and 2020, the world never saw more than two successful coup attempts in a year. But there have now been eight coups in the past 12 months — most recently in Burkina Faso, where soldiers seized power last Monday. 

* There were five successful coups in 2021, the most in any year since 1999, according to research from Clayton Thyne of the University of Kentucky and Jonathan Powell of the University of Central Florida.  

The big picture: Coups are now for the most part "limited to the poorest countries in the world" and tend to happen where there are severe security threats or civil wars, as well as a past history of coups, Powell tells Axios. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor:The pandemic has shaken much of the world and it has created stress points in society that were not there before. I expect more coups and unrest in the coming year.

What Countries Are At Risk Of A Coup In 2015

Dart-Throwing Chimp: A Crowd’s-Eye View of Coup Risk in 2015

My Comment: This is a rather good survey and analysis. I disagree with its placement of Venezuela as #8 (the probability is low even with all of its problems)  ... but the other countries .... no dispute there.

Are Military Coups Coming Back?

Coups Making A Comeback? -- Foreign Policy

While, for now unsubstantiated, coup rumors sweep China, a very real coup is underway in Mali. Renegade troups have appeared on state television to announce that they have taken power away from President Amadou Toumani Toure, who they say inadequately supported them in the fight against an ongoing insurgency by Tuareg rebels in the country's north. The army has apparently shut the borders and the whereabouts of Toure, who has been in power since 2002, are unknown. Soldiers are reportedly looting the presidential palace.

Twitter's probably the best way to stay on top of the fast-moving story at the moment. Alex Thurston's Sahel Blog has some good suggestions of feeds to follow as well as some valuable quick analysis.

Read more ....

My Comment: In the past .... when the military initiated a coup .... the first thing that they always targeted were the radio and TV stations. The priority (then) was to always control the message .... which was easy since these media platforms were always few in number and easy to shut down.

Today ... it is a different world. People are better educated, and with everyone becoming plugged into the world wide web .... to sustain and control the media message from a coup is far more difficult .... if not impossible. By being unable to control the media .... the situation will then become fluid .... and for the coup makers .... very dangerous.