Thesis
When coups return: militarism and the politics of intervention in Burkina Faso and Mali 2020-2022
- Abstract:
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The resurgence of military coups in West Africa’s Sahel has reignited structuralexplanations that attribute these power seizures to governance failure, insecurity,geopolitics, and the selective enforcement of anti-coup norms. Other scholars point tothe “coup trap” thesis, which suggests that a history of coups increases the likelihoodof future ones. Drawing on interviews with military and political actors directlyinvolved in Malian and Burkinabè coups between 2020 and 2022, this thesis challengesthese prevailing explanations by offering a rare inside view of coup-making. It arguesthat militarism, largely overlooked as a key driver of the renewed wave of coups,provided the ideological framework through which officers interpreted political andsecurity crises and decided to seize power.
Militarism in coup contexts is not monolithic. It is a fragmented, historically embeddedset of beliefs and attitudes. To capture this fragmentation, the thesis develops atypology of five strands—custodial, technocratic, revisionist, instrumental, andrevolutionary—explaining how each influenced why, when and how officers intervenedin politics. The thesis also highlights other intra-military coup causes, includingfactional rivalries, personal ambitions, fears, and strategic calculations among officers,alongside the enduring legacies of elite manipulation of the armed forces. Additionally,the study advances the neglected notion of coup catalysts: discrete, high-stakes eventsthat turn predispositions into action, arguing that catalysts were the decisive hingewithout which the coups would not have occurred.
The dissertation connects militarism as an internal ideology of barracks life with itsreinforcement through societal attitudes and civilian legitimisation practices. Itsoriginal contribution lies in advancing the study of coups beyond macro-levelexplanations, arguing that the timing and feasibility of intervention are bestunderstood through the interaction of armed forces' internal ideological commitments,idiosyncrasies, and strategic calculations.
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Authors
- DOI:
- Type of award:
- DPhil
- Level of award:
- Doctoral
- Awarding institution:
- University of Oxford
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Subjects:
- Deposit date:
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2026-07-08
- ARK identifier:
- Title:
- When coups return: militarism and the politics of intervention in Burkina Faso and Mali 2020-2022
- DOI:
- 10.5287/ora-dez4g87pw-2 Request object version
- Created date:
- 2026-07-14
- Title:
- When coups return: militarism and the politics of intervention in Burkina Faso and Mali 2020-2022
- DOI:
- 10.5287/ora-dez4g87pw-1 Request object version
- Created date:
- 2026-07-14
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Kamissa Camara
- Copyright date:
- 2026
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