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Coup d'état

Supporters of Capt. Ibrahim Traore parade waving a Russian flag in the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Oct. 2, 2022. 

When putsch comes to shove: Part I

Critical State

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into the myth of “coup contagion.”

In this March 21, 2011, file photo, a Syrian soldier steps out of the burned courthouse that was set on fire by anti-government protesters in the southern city of Daraa, Syria.

Civil workshopping: Part II

People stage a sit-in demanding a return to civilian rule and to protest the nine people who were killed in anti-military demonstrations last month, in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, July 4, 2022.

Sudanese protesters demand a ‘purely civilian transitional government’ activist says

Protest
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 27, 2022.

Archetypes of autocracy: Part II

A man holds a portrait of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba who has taken the reins of Burkina Faso, in Ouagadougou, Jan. 25, 2022. 

Undemocratic shifts for state control: Part I

Critical State
A man wearing military uniform holds gun up in air in open truck with other men cheering

After military coup, uncertainty hangs over Mali’s future

Leaders

From the onset, the military junta has promised to pave the way to new elections. But some are concerned it might be trying to hold onto power in this transition.

Gambia's president, Al Hadji Yahya Jammeh, attends the plenary session of the Africa-South America Summit in 2009.

The Gambia is the worst dictatorship you’ve probably never heard of

Justice

If you’ve never heard of The Gambia or its longtime dictator, Yahya Jammeh, you’re far from alone. But Jammeh, who survived his eighth coup attempt last week, is the head of a “horrible, horrible dictatorship” that represses its people along North Korean lines.

Spain coup attempt 1981

Journalists mock a crucial moment in Spanish history with a fake ‘documentary’

Global Politics

In Spain, people are still talking about a TV program that aired Sunday and promised to rewrite a key chapter in modern Spanish history. More than 5 million viewers tuned in for an expose about an attempted coup in 1981 that nearly ended Spain’s fledgling democracy.

Egypt Brings New Challenges for U.S. Role in Middle East

The ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and the start of an interim government could offer a new set of complications for the United States and it’s role in the Middle East. As a strategic partner in the Middle East, the United States will be watching to see how the interim government–and future leadership–maintains its […]

The World

Mali Junta Unveils Constitution And Promises Elections

Global Politics

The leaders of a military coup in Mali announce a new constitution for the country as thousands of coup supporters rally in the capital Bamako.