A culture of coups : an examination of the underlying factors that perpetuate the cycle of military coups in Burkina Faso

Abstract

This thesis examines how Burkina Faso has been able to continue a cycle of military coups d’etat with such a high success rate. The purpose of this research is to contribute to existing theories regarding military coups, coup-proofing, coup risk, and institutional weakness as the key findings bring insight into the variables that contribute to these phenomena. Burkina Faso gained independence from the French at the same time most African nations became independent and while most of these nations also fell victim to coup attempts and successes, Burkina Faso continued to fall victim, even after many nations had progressed past the “African coup d’etat crisis.” Extensive historical research is performed in this thesis to gather a significant understanding of how the colonial rule in Burkina Faso created variables that then affected coup success. The historical analysis also allows the reader to see a pattern of state instability that predates every coup d’etat in Burkina Faso, but the instability itself does not explain the coup's success. Instead, state instability must be coupled with institutional weakness, lack of coup-proofing, and poor civil-military relations in order to see success. In this thesis, I determine four variables that contribute to this cycle of coup success in Burkina Faso using the method of historical process tracing. This thesis determines that the lack of state institutions, a problem rooted in the colonial origins of the state, has plagued the stability of Burkina Faso since independence. This has resulted in a lack of coup-proofing and positive civil-military relations which contributes to the continued cycle of military coup success, further destabilizing the country. Furthermore, the research determines that Burkina Faso operates as a modern praetorian state, an argument supported by the socio-political dynamics of the country.