Understanding the Roots of West African Conflicts Through the Lens of Coup D'etats

Abstract

The growing need for resources and United States (US) historical ties ensure future US involvement in the West Africa. Since 1960, the approximate end of colonialism, and the dawn of independence for most nations in West Africa, a series of Coup D'tats occurred. If future US involvement is certain, should we not examine the coups through a historical lens to determine their causes? Can the study of instability in West Africa yield a pattern of results that will assist the US in applying the national instruments of power? Lastly, can the study of Coup D'tats point to a recipe for stability in the region? This thesis seeks to answer these questions by studying Coup D'tats' relationship with economic, external interest, ethnic/religious frictions, and military influences.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 10, 2016
Accession Number
AD1020321

Entities

People

  • John R Morris

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Employment
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • Minority Groups
  • Public Administration
  • Societies
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • United States Africa Command
  • Violence
  • West Africa

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design