Coups
America’s African Balancing Act
In 2016, upon returning to America after ten years in South Africa, I argued in the National Interest that the “Africa Rising” narrative of inevitable economic and political development was...
Personal Experience: John Bolton Admits to Planning Coups on CNN
One of the bigger pieces of news from the Tuesday session of the January 6 committee came after the hearing itself, when a former top Trump administration official admitted in...
Erdogan Shows His True Dictatorial Colors
Even before the failed military coup, Turkey’s President Erdoğan governed like a dictator who had the last word on all state matters. The botched coup was nothing but, as he...
The Turkish Coup Wasn’t an Inside Job
It is a whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie. Several theories have been floated as to who was responsible for the failed Turkish coup of July 15. One theory points to...
#NeverTrump’s New Wacky Idea for Beating the Donald: A Military Junta
The #NeverTrump movement has tried every single trick in the book to deny Donald Trump the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Each and every one of those...
Turkey’s Coup Catch-22
Turkey’s failed coup attempt on Friday, July 15 was bad news for Turkey. After enduring a string of horrific terrorist attacks, the most recent less than a month before at...
Erdogan’s Turkey Is the Real Turkey
In the aftermath of the failed military coup against the government of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, many observers have been wondering whether the defeat of the plotters will allow...
Turkey’s Failed Coup: What Happened, Who’s Behind It, What Happens Next?
Turkey on the night of on 15-16 July looked a lot like the opening scene of the 2013 blockbuster Man of Steel. Dissatisfied elements of the military staged a coup...
The Trouble in Turkey Is Far From Over
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears to have successfully stopped the military coup launched against him last night. It was a bloody affair—images circulated on social media of civilian protesters...
Democracy is Sustained in Turkey—Sort Of
Before this week it had come to be broadly accepted conventional wisdom that the days of Turkish military coups were over. After a post-World War II history in which the...
Was That Really a Coup in Brazil?
Dilma Rousseff, recently suspended as president of Brazil in an impeachment process that will likely remove her permanently from power in a few months, continues to claim she has been...
Washington’s Fondness for ‘Friendly’ Dictators
Whatever enthusiasm the Obama administration may have once had for the democratic upheavals of the Arab Spring has virtually disappeared. That point was underscored with Secretary of State John Kerry’s...