Amid the many recent coups, including in Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger, there are growing fears that a new era of dictatorship is underway. The coups have a common theme: the inability of elected governments to deliver security and development. This failure has generated popular discontent with democratic politics and prompted citizens to turn to military-affiliated factions for salvation.
A proper understanding of the junta phenomenon requires recognizing that the military’s involvement in politics is not an anomaly, but an ongoing and integral feature of democracy. In fact, civilian support for a coup often plays an important role in its success, especially when the military has a good case to make.
Juntas typically intervene in politics either to defend corporate privileges or because the polity is facing a perceived or real security crisis. In these cases, the juntas do not seek to establish a one-party state or military dictatorship; instead they try to create electoral authoritarian regimes that are highly dependent on the military.
But if coups are to be stopped, civilian actors must consistently call a spade a spade and work to reverse them when they occur. This must include a clear commitment by the United States to swiftly deploy coup restrictions, including the suspension of assistance, when confronted with an executive power grab in a ally. Failing to do so will only encourage future would-be juntas to circumvent democracy by stealing the reins of government. Alexander Noyes is a political scientist at the RAND Corporation and a former senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy.
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