Coup D'Etat: A Practical Manual

Since the end of the Second World War, there have been more than 280 attempted coups d'etat in some 76 separate countries - half of the sovereign states represented at the United Nations. Of these, 151 have been successful. Argentina alone has suffered no less than 16 coups or attempted coups. In the comfortable, stable democracies of the West, the coup has become something of a joke: one is inclined to be dismissive of a country where a coup has taken place. Surely, they only occur in banana republics, whose populations expect nothing from their politicians and even less from their armed forces? People fail to realize what a complicated operation a coup can be and just how much careful planning and calculation are required to carry it off successfully. This book is a detailed analysis of how coups d'etat are planned, organized and executed, and what it takes to make a coup work. Much has been written about coups d'etat - why they happen, what happens as a result of them, who they happen to and when - but this is the first book to look at the coup d'etat from the point of view of the military officer carrying it out.