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For a while, it seemed like military rule was heading to the dustbin of history. Images of fatigue-clad coupists tanking their way into power were a thing of the past, surely.
But in some countries, the generals are taking over again. Myanmar is under control of a junta, and Africa has seen a spate of military coups sweeping away civilian governments in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan and Guinea.
What’s going on? Samuel Fury Childs Daly of the University of Chicago explains the long history − and appeal − of militarism in Africa. “The military regimes of the past were brutally innovative. They made new rules, new institutions and new standards for how people should interact. They promised to make Africa an orderly and prosperous paradise.”
Of course, they failed. But in the face of recent unpopular governments and perceived or real foreign interference, military rule is back in business. “Today’s military regimes don’t seem to have the same long-term visions of their predecessors, but the longer they stay in power the more likely they are to start making plans. Despite all their promises to return to the barracks, they don’t seem to be going anytime soon,” writes the military historian.
Elsewhere this week, we have been keeping an eye on developments in Ukraine following the Biden administration’s loosening of restrictions on what US weapons Kyiv can use and where.
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