Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups

Contents

Contents List of Figures and Tables vii Acknowledgments ix 1 Introduction 1 The Importance of Understanding Coups 2 Understanding Coup Outcomes and Dynamics 5 Other Theoretical Explanations 10 Background of Cases 11 Overview of Chapters 13 2 Theory 15 Coups as Battles 15 Coups as Elections 17 Coups as Coordination Games 21 Conclusion 39 3 Counting Coups 41 Understanding Coup Attempts 42 Understanding Coup Outcomes 58 Understanding Coup Levels 71 Limitations 75 Conclusion 76 4 Coups from the Top of the Military 79 A Theory of Coups from the Top 79 The Case of Ghana, 1975 88 Ghana, 1978 96 Conclusion 107 vi Contents 5 Coups from the Middle 108 A Theory of Coups from the Middle 108 Ghana, 1967 115 Ghana, 1972 135 Conclusion 147 6 Coups from the Bottom 148 A Theory of Coups from the Bottom 148 Ghana, May 1979 154 Ghana, June 1979 162 Ghana, 1981 179 Conclusion 193 7 USSR, 1991: Three Days That Changed the World 195 Background 197 Analysis 203 Conclusion 220 8 Conclusion 222 Implications for the Study of Civil-Military Relations 222 Implications for Future Coups 224 Implications for Policy 227 Appendix: Description of Variables Used in Analyses 231 References 235 Index 247 ...