The Economist... Coups going out of fashion?
Coups d'états
Out with the old
Dec 3rd 2008
From Economist.com
Coups and attempted coups are going out of fashion
REGIME change nowadays tends to be made through democratic means than by an army takeover. The number of coups has fallen in recent years, with only one recorded attempt in 2007, according to the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research, a think-tank. This is a steep drop from the decades from 1960 to 1989, when an average of 12 coups or attempted coups were made every year. Many coups during the cold war years were backed by the Soviet Union or America as each superpower tried to gain footholds in strategically important countries, particularly in Latin America. But the biggest change was in sub-Saharan Africa, as decolonisation, especially in the 1960s, left weak governments vulnerable to the armed forces and to foreign mercenaries. The region is still the most prone to coups, although Asia is not far behind.
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Economist.com
