Latest piece out at @africa.theconversation.com. My co-author, Hiba Naciri and I examine recent developments in Mali and showcase how they are part of a broader trend towards personalist rule in the Sahel. theconversation.com/malis-milita...

Mali’s military leader is consolidating power. Why this is dangerous

Military regimes have shifted from presenting themselves as temporary ‘corrective’ interventions to becoming personalised systems of rule.

theconversation.com

Check out "Civilian Support for Coups and Post-Coup Buyer’s Remorse in the Sahel" by Salah Ben Hammou, and Jonathan Powell, featured in POMEPS Studies 59: Political Movements in North Africa and the Sahel! pomeps.org/civilian-sup...

Civilian Support for Coups and Post-Coup Buyer’s Remorse in the Sahel - Project on Middle East Political Science

Salah Ben Hammou, Ph.D., Rice University Jonathan Powell, Ph.D., Campbellsville University   Between 2020 and 2025, the world watched as military coups swept across the Sahel, with soldiers turning th...

pomeps.org

Happy to have contributed a piece to the new @pomeps.bsky.social studies. Here, we introduce the concept of post-coup buyers’ remorse, in which civilian movements who align with military coupists are often short-changed once the latter consolidate authority. pomeps.org/civilian-sup...

Civilian Support for Coups and Post-Coup Buyer’s Remorse in the Sahel - Project on Middle East Political Science

Salah Ben Hammou, Ph.D., Rice University Jonathan Powell, Ph.D., Campbellsville University   Between 2020 and 2025, the world watched as military coups swept across the Sahel, with soldiers turning th...

pomeps.org

Burkina Faso’s junta has dissolved all political parties, concentrating power further and closing off space for independent civic life. 🛑 theconversation.com/burkina-faso... #Politics

Burkina Faso has dissolved all political parties: why African coup leaders often turn on the people who supported them

Once in power, military rulers have little incentive to share authority.

theconversation.com

Latest with @africa.theconversation.com. I argue that Burkina Faso’s recent efforts to ban political parties fits into a broader pattern. Even coups that begin with public backing often see military leader turn against their own supporters and civilian allies. theconversation.com/burkina-faso...

Burkina Faso has dissolved all political parties: why African coup leaders often turn on the people who supported them

Once in power, military rulers have little incentive to share authority.

theconversation.com

ICYMI: if you’ve ever wondered about coup contagion, this paper offers some insight

Victor Asal @victorasal.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion and Containment International Studies Review @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social @greensloth.bsky.social academic.oup.com/isr/article/...

Early Christmas gift: my latest study with @drpowell.bsky.social just went live over at International Studies Review. Read it here: academic.oup.com/isr/article/...

Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion and Containment

Abstract. Observers have long posited that military coups can spread across borders, yet empirical support for such contagion remains inconsistent. We argu

academic.oup.com

If you care about topics like coup contagion and authoritarian resilience, please check out our latest

Dr. Salah Ben Hammou@salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Early Christmas gift: my latest study with @drpowell.bsky.social just went live over at International Studies Review. Read it here: academic.oup.com/isr/article/...

Early Christmas gift: my latest study with @drpowell.bsky.social just went live over at International Studies Review. Read it here: academic.oup.com/isr/article/...

Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion and Containment

Abstract. Observers have long posited that military coups can spread across borders, yet empirical support for such contagion remains inconsistent. We argu

academic.oup.com

Final article of the year: sharing my latest with @drpowell.bsky.social at @us.theconversation.com We’ve written before on Africa’s post-2020 coup wave and the question of contagion. This time, we explore how would-be plotters watch, learn, and act. theconversation.com/coup-contagi...

Coup contagion? A rash of African power grabs suggests copycats are taking note of others’ success

Since 2020, there have been 11 successful coups across Africa, and five thwarted attempts.

theconversation.com

This speaks to a broader issue I see with this site. Stories on issues in places other than the U.S. receive much less engagement. There’s increasingly little space to promote and discuss issues that are occurring globally. It’s like some form of U.S. exceptionalism in the reverse

Anna Lind-Guzik@alindguzik.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Fascinating how the Americans in the comments manage to make a story that is entirely about women dissenters in Venezuela, and has nothing to do with the Trump regimes’ murders or threats of invasion, about our domestic problems. You’ll be shocked to learn not everything is about the US.

My Q&A interview on Guinea-Bissau's coup with the Conversation is now available. Read it here: theconversation.com/guinea-bissa...

Guinea-Bissau coup: election uncertainty has triggered military takeovers before

The coup sends a signal that electoral rules and constitutional procedures can be overridden by force.

theconversation.com

Now that the coup has failed, we’re deploying troops to protect the government!!

This is the third coup in the last two months. It seems we’re starting to hit an uptick yet again in the coup wave, which had largely gone quiet since 2023. Last September, there was a thwarted coup plot in Benin with alleged ties to the Burkinabe junta.

Today headline@todayheadline.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Soldiers announce apparent military coup in Benin A group of soldiers on Benin’s national television claimed to have seized power in the West African nation on Sunday (December 7, 2025). The announcement came as the West African country was preparing for a presidential election in April that would…

Had some words of mine quoted in a recent article over @theweek.com on West Africa's coup wave. theweek.com/world-news/g...

West Africa’s ‘coup cascade’

Guinea-Bissau takeover is the latest in the Sahel region, which has quietly become global epicentre of terrorism

theweek.com

Civil society on the ground is alleging that the incumbent, Embaló, instigated the coup and handed power to the military to stop the release of election results. If true, this would be an example of a common trend where losing incumbents instigate coups to stop the opposition’s ascent.

AFP News Agency@en.afp.com · 10mo ago

Guinea-Bissau rocked by coup. Military officials in Guinea-Bissau say they have seized "total control" of the west African country, arresting its president, closing its borders and suspending its electoral process three days after general elections u.afp.com/ShdA

If this is what actually happened, then Embaló would do well to remember that even incumbents and civilians close to power who instigate coups are often shortchanged by their allies in fatigues once the dust settles.

Dr. Salah Ben Hammou@salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Civil society on the ground is alleging that the incumbent, Embaló, instigated the coup and handed power to the military to stop the release of election results. If true, this would be an example of a common trend where losing incumbents instigate coups to stop the opposition’s ascent.

Civil society on the ground is alleging that the incumbent, Embaló, instigated the coup and handed power to the military to stop the release of election results. If true, this would be an example of a common trend where losing incumbents instigate coups to stop the opposition’s ascent.

AFP News Agency@en.afp.com · 10mo ago

Guinea-Bissau rocked by coup. Military officials in Guinea-Bissau say they have seized "total control" of the west African country, arresting its president, closing its borders and suspending its electoral process three days after general elections u.afp.com/ShdA

A military coup appears to have happened in Guinea-Bissau. The warning signs were there, leading up to Sunday's elections. @drpowell.bsky.social & I wrote about these warning signs last week over at @africa.theconversation.com. theconversation.com/guinea-bissa...

Guinea-Bissau’s presidential poll has already failed the credibility test

What’s at stake in Guinea-Bissau’s election is a wider regional crisis in which incumbents erode legitimacy.

theconversation.com

📢 New Paper Alert! Happy to share that our article “Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion & Containment” — co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social — is forthcoming in International Studies Review. Are coups actually contagious, and if so, how? 🧵 below (1/)

I wrote this essay in the current Sudan issue of Transition Magazine titled "The Politics of Hunger" which argues that the current hunger crisis has been decades in the making. It begins with Nimeiri and looks at US engagement over the decades. transitionmagazine.fas.harvard.edu/the-politics...

ICYMI

Dr. Salah Ben Hammou@salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 11mo ago

📢 New Paper Alert! Happy to share that our article “Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion & Containment” — co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social — is forthcoming in International Studies Review. Are coups actually contagious, and if so, how? 🧵 below (1/)

📢 New Paper Alert! Happy to share that our article “Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion & Containment” — co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social — is forthcoming in International Studies Review. Are coups actually contagious, and if so, how? 🧵 below (1/)

Had the pleasure to join the good folks over at the Centre for African Conflict & Development to offer my perspective on the Madagascar coup and other related developments in their latest podcast episode. open.spotify.com/episode/18ea...

EP 108: The Recent Coup in Madagascar with Dr Salah Ben Hammou

open.spotify.com

Protestors in Madagascar are now confronting the reality that the military—once an ally to their cause—now holds the reins of power.

Madagascar’s ‘Coupvolution’ Is Following a Familiar Pattern

Gen Z protesters now have buyer’s remorse.

foreignpolicy.com

Happy to share my latest piece at Foreign Policy w/ @drpowell.bsky.social. Madagascar’s recent coup reflects a wider “coupvolution” trend - civilians help topple leaders, only to be sidelined once the military takes over. Here's what they can do. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/06/m...

Madagascar’s ‘Coupvolution’ Is Following a Familiar Pattern

Gen Z protesters now have buyer's remorse.

foreignpolicy.com

Happy to share my latest piece at Foreign Policy w/ @drpowell.bsky.social. Madagascar’s recent coup reflects a wider “coupvolution” trend - civilians help topple leaders, only to be sidelined once the military takes over. Here's what they can do. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/06/m...

Madagascar’s ‘Coupvolution’ Is Following a Familiar Pattern

Gen Z protesters now have buyer's remorse.

foreignpolicy.com

As we see a rise in coups across Africa, Salah Ben Hammou (@salahbhpolisci.bsky.social) and Jonathan Powell (@drpowell.bsky.social) have been making significant contributions to conversations about coups around the world, including in AF&S! Find their articles here: journals.sagepub.com/home/afs

Dr. Salah Ben Hammou@salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Sharing my new article co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social over at The Conversation on the coup in Madagascar. We explore what happens when regional organizations preach democracy but protect incumbents. This disconnect fuels instability and public distrust. theconversation.com/madagascar-c...

Sharing my new article co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social over at The Conversation on the coup in Madagascar. We explore what happens when regional organizations preach democracy but protect incumbents. This disconnect fuels instability and public distrust. theconversation.com/madagascar-c...

Madagascar coup: why turning a blind eye to an unpopular president weakens regional bodies

As Malagasy citizens demanded accountability, international institutions conferred legitimacy on a president with dubious democratic credentials.

theconversation.com

Madagascar appears to be following the pattern seen in other recent post-coup states, where the military chooses to retain power rather than hand it over to civilian authorities: www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...

Madagascar’s new army ruler to be sworn in as Rajoelina confirms departure

Military leader to take his oath as president on Friday as African Union calls for the restoration of civilian rule.

aljazeera.com