Civil Resistance Against Coups

Nations are not helplessif the military decides to stage a coup. On dozens of occasions in recentdecades, even in the face of intimidated political leaders and internationalindifference, civil society has risen up to challenge putschists throughlarge-scale nonviolent direct action and noncooperation. How can anunarmed citizenry mobilize so quickly and defeat a powerful militarycommitted to seizing control of the government? What accounts for thesuccess or failure of nonviolent resistance movements to reverse coups andconsolidate democratic governance?This monograph presents in-depth case studies and analysis intended toimprove our understanding of the strategic utility of civil resistance againstmilitary takeovers; the nature of civil resistance mobilization against coups; therole of civil resistance against coups in countries' subsequent democratizationefforts (or failure thereof). It offers key lessons for pro-democracy activistsand societies vulnerable to military usurpation of power; national civilian andmilitary bureaucracies; external state and non-state agencies supportive ofdemocracy; and future scholarship on this subject.