The Term Coup D'etat - Essay Example

& No Coup d'Etat (Analysis) 25 January Introduction The term coup d'etat comes from the French term which means “a stroke of State” or a more precise and descriptive definition which is “a sudden blow to the State” because a coup is a seizure of power from the legitimate government by a small group or cabal. Although its coinage is of fairly recent usage, its essence is the sudden seizure of power from the existing government not by democratic means but through deposition. In this regard, coups go back a long way in history to cite instances of someone or some group seizing power suddenly from the legitimate holders of power such as emperors, kings, heads of state or military leaders by a group or persons and replace an existing government with a new one established by usurpers. Although the term coup d'etat is associated with military power in the minds of people it is not the sole distinguishing feature of what constitutes a coup d'etat. What is important is a use of deceit and infiltration by a small group of people to gain power and authority of a small but critical segment or sector of the government and thereby assume political control. In this regard, such plans will eventually succeed if the coup plotters gain a critical mass which it can win over to its side, or alternatively, when there is acquiescence or apathy from the population or the greater bulk of the military just stands by and fails to come to the rescue of government resulting in its displacement and eventual surrender to a much smaller force of coup plotters. A lot of political discourse has been generated with the propriety of a coup as well as its repercussions on civil society as a whole. Those who plan, support and carry out a coup are often idealistic people who use their own idealism and agenda for reforms as justification. But history likewise showed that those who live by the sword will in turn die by the sword. Discussion History is replete with instances of coups staged mostly by trusted advisers or by those who had gained close access to the centers of power. Their proximity to power made it easier for them to observe the workings and more importantly, the defects and deficiencies of those currently holding power. Coup plotters have plenty of motivations and reasons to seize power that provide justifications for their illegal actions. As previously discussed, the use of military or its close relative which are the paramilitary units, is not a distinguishing feature to correctly define what a coup is. These coup plotters usually enlist the help of the military establishment because it is only the military that has the discipline, expertise, firepower and cohesion that is often needed to succeed in seizing power by sudden and violent means. As they say, might is right. This is what happens when the coup plotters succeed in the plan of toppling an elected government and these people immediately go to great length to try to explain to their people why intervention was necessary. For the military people, the reasons for joining the coup are elaborated upon such as to save the State from its enemies within and without, try to restore order, ensure political stability or some other alibi that will legitimize a trip into governance and intervention in political affairs of the nation (Kieh & Agbese 23). The military establishment of any country provides a crucial component of coups as it provides the muscle whenever necessary for the coup to succeed. In general, the justifications for a coup can be categorized into three, namely: political, social and military unrest. Political reasons may pertain to a failure of the political system like when politicians are incompetent, massive corruption, greed for power, lack of democratic institutions or political squabbles. A social justification is when there is too much power in one person or in one institution only. A good reason might be the lack of genuine freedoms for the people. The military reasons could be interference in purely military affairs or politicization of the military men (Wiking 73). The Philippine Experience – there were many instances of coups in the other countries of the world where coup plotters succeeded in gaining the reins of power. Examples are South Korea (by a succession of generals, starting with Gen. Park Chung Hee) and African countries like Sudan, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso and more recently, in nations like Qatar, Fiji, Madagascar, Mauritania and Niger. Burma also experienced a coup and present leaders of the country are all military men. Thailand likewise had coups but those coups are quite unique because they are mostly bloodless coups perpetrated by a group of officers motivated by their nationalistic principles of being guardians of the country. The military intervention is called a necessary but temporary aberration only and that civilian authority will soon be restored. The example of Thailand’s bloodless coups is partly explained by the reverence for their King. The allure of a coup is very potent because it promises a quick solution to the problem of politics, economic and social inequalities. Democracy is often set aside by the coup plotters in their idealistic notion of trying to improve things but many coups falter due to same reasons of having a coup in the first place. Corruption, abuse of power and dictatorial tendencies most often prevail among the new leaders. It then begs the immortal question first asked by famous Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates further popularized by the Roman poet Juvenal: “Who will guard the guardians themselves?” Because successful coups are often unregulated, the next relevant phrase then is this: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” If examined closely, coups and civil wars are not much different and are caused almost by the same reasons, which are: greed (the capture of valuable resources) and grievances (the attempt to rectify perceived wrongs or injustices). In particular, standard grievances such as political repression or economic inequality do not substantially influence the staging of coups. However, the prevalence of joblessness, low incomes and little or no economic growth are the significant factors that can make a country prone to coups (Collier & Hoeffler 2). The Philippines has a very unique place in the annals of military coups because what had started as very minor rebellion turned into what the whole world now terms as the People Power Revolution. The roles of both the military establishment and the civilian populace were very crucial in toppling an unpopular conjugal dictatorship but the key players had their own roles reversed, with civilians protecting the small group of coup plotters from being attacked by a larger military force still loyal to the dictator Marcos at the early stages of the coup. The usual coup is a military that shackles and attacks its own civilian population to support coup plotters and leaders who had usurped or grabbed power by undemocratic or illegal means. Many other countries followed the Philippine example with notable similarities like the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989, the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany that lead to dismantling of the Berlin Wall in late 1989 and even the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991 that gave rise to many sovereign states today. In all these examples, military power was present but not used on the civilians which led to the peaceful transfer of power but the transfer can still be considered a coup because it was not achieved by means of an election but rather through extra-constitutional means. A striking but often overlooked similarity among these events was the lack of an effective civilian authority. Anatomy of a Coup – the Philippine experience of coups is fairly recent in terms of its young history as a nation. Previously an American colony, the previous US administrators had made sure the country adopted its own democratic ideals of free and fair elections, a free press and vigorous political opposition by encouraging the formation of several political parties. It was against this backdrop that the country was the second-most progressive politically and economically in Asia behind Japan. Things started to go downhill when former Pres. Marcos got re-elected in hotly-contested elections in 1969 amid charges of fraud and declared martial law in 1972 (hold on to power) supposedly to control increased lawlessness and civil disorder. The seeds of a coup were planted when Marcos established oligarchy and dictatorial rule. In most coups, the aims of the new dispensation are usually very noble but soon easily degenerate into a partition of the economic and political spoils. In other words, most coups are about clamping down on people's freedoms with the installation of a new set of oligarchs. The Philippines had a very opposite but positive experience in that freedoms were restored instead of being taken away. Political institutions, freedom of the press and opposition parties were all given their democratic space by the administration of the late Pres. Cory Aquino. It must also be noted there were two coups which were politically significant for the country among many: the first was the toppling of the Marcos dictatorship during EDSA-1 (because there were other People Power attempts later on) and the second was the most serious threat ever to the young Aquino presidency which occurred on December 1, 1989 led by a young colonel and his other cohorts named Gregorio Honasan. This rebel force was loyal to the deposed Marcos conjugal dictatorship and wanted to restore the political arrangements during their dictatorial rule. This coup was crushed with American help when US jet fighters re-took Philippine airspace using planes launched from two aircraft carriers in “Operation Classic Resolve” to restore stability. Conclusion Form of Military Intervention – the Philippine coups were mostly in the nature of the so-called “guardian coups” in which selected members of the Philippine military arrogated to themselves the task of saving their country from imagined or perceived enemies by declaring themselves as guardians against graft, corruption, bureaucratic gridlock and lenient treatment of communist insurgents which has fought for more than four decades now (Asia's longest). Generally speaking, the people of the Philippines (Filipinos) favored the first coup that overthrew the Marcos regime (EDSA-1) but later on frowned upon the subsequent coups that were launched against Pres. Cory Aquino's regime. The feeling was that the country might get to become a banana republic in which coups will become common for achieving change. Effects of the Coups – the Filipino people are now vigilant than ever of their freedoms and will not allow or tolerate anyone to impose their will on the people except through honest and clean elections. The military establishment is now strictly back under civilian authority by emphasizing the supremacy of civilian authority over the military. The Philippine judiciary is now strengthened and no longer beholden to the appointing political power and administration of justice is perceived to be fair to all. Political parties blossomed and the multiparty system in the country is well established. Press freedom has likewise been restored. Civil society is now much stronger with community leaders pursuing different advocacy to improve society. Recommendations The best antidote to military interventions is to instill a high sense of professionalism among a country's soldiers. It should be inculcated in them that their role is not to interfere in the governance affairs of their country or join in politics although this is a bit hard for soldiers to accept initially especially when nationalism is involved. A country's leaders must realize to prevent coups from taking place because of the danger of falling into the “coup trap” in which a coup will encourage others to stage subsequent coups in the future (a banana republic). Ironically, national policies that tend to favor the military will not appease the military nor reduce the risk of coups; the effect is indeed perverse in which high military spending will instead increase the risk a coup (Collier & Hoeffler 3). In the Philippines, a fact-finding report of its Davide Commission recommended short-term and longer-term countermeasures that are expected to discourage military adventurism. Some of its recommendations are the alleviation of poverty, improved administration of justice, prevent military corruption and strengthen the miliatary's chain of command (PCIJ 2). The best way to prevent coups is to have a strong and stable political institution like in Great Britain, India and Hongkong where coups are unheard of, not like France (coup d'etat) or Germany (putsch); good governance is the key (Ali 319). Works Cited Ali, Akhtar S. “Opinion: The Seizure of Civil Authority.” Pakistan and the Gulf Economist, 7.26 (1988): 316-319. Print. Collier, Paul and Anke Hoeffler. Coup Traps: Why Does Africa Have so Many Coups d’Etat? Center for the Study of African Economies. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. Kieh, George Klay and Pita Ogaba Agbese. The Military and Politics in Africa: From Engagement to Democratic and Constitutional Control. Burlington, VT, USA: The Ashgate Publishing Company, 2004. Print. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Recommendations of the Final Report of the Fact-finding Commission. 2003. Web. 25 Jan. 2011. . Wiking, S. Military Coups in Sub-Saharan Africa: How to Justify the Illegal Assumption of Power. Uppsala, Sweden: The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, 1983. Print. Read More

 

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