A coup is a violent seizure of power by military forces. They are often accompanied by mass violence, and can end democracy. A coup is one of the leading causes of democratic collapse; over half of the democracies that died between 1789 and 2008 fell because of a military takeover.
The world should learn from this history to prevent military coups. It can start by publicly signaling that aid will be suspended in the event of a coup, a policy that would send a clear message to militaries that they will face stiff economic punishment for allowing themselves to be used for political ends. It can also include in its International Military Education and Training programs guidance on how to react when a civilian executive tries to drag a military into politics.
In the past, it has been difficult for coup-makers to lure the armed forces into their self-coups. Exceptions have included the Rum Rebellion in New South Wales and the Malet Coup in France, but the military has generally been an unwilling ally. But today, it’s much easier for a president to manipulate the military into taking control of the country, because militaries have many financial and personal incentives to support a coup.
In Guinea, octogenarian President Alpha Conde’s putsch was foiled by Captain Mamady Doumbouya. In Egypt, a similar dynamic was at play when General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi seized power. These developments show that a self-coup is no longer an aberration, and should be viewed as a serious threat to the survival of democracy in those countries.