The African Military in Political Life : Guns, Governance, and Power

Why does the military in Africa so persistently involve itself in politics?The military has been a central yet ambivalent and often contentious institution in Africa's political evolution from the anti-colonial liberation struggles of the mid-twentieth century to the present day. Featuring ten case studies of civil-military relations in countries from across the continent that have recently experienced coups or coup attempts, this book provides a comprehensive and critical account of the military's role in shaping political authority, governance, and state-society relations in Africa. It examines the motivations for military invention, including colonial legacies, economic crises, Cold War and recent East-West rivalries, and counterterrorism alliances, as well as strategies of legitimisation and the implications of porous civil-military boundaries for democratic consolidation across Africa.

At the heart of these dynamics lies a fundamental tension between the military as a potential force for stability, nation-building, and professional service, on one hand, and its enduring function as a tool of elite power and coercive control, on the other. Chapters in the book interrogate this tension and the varied historical and political expressions it takes across the continent. Recent developments suggest the relationship between military institutions and political life remains deeply unsettled, and the volume concludes with suggestions for reform and a framework for 'coup-proofing' the future.