Coup Archives - Public Seminar

Columnists

No, It’s not Shocking that QAnon Believers Long for a Military coup. For Them, This Is the End Times

There are millions of Americans for whom hate is their faith

June 2, 2021 • by John Stoehr

_____ Donie O’Sullivan is a reporter for CNN. His beat appears to be American conspiracy theories. He was on Anderson Cooper’s show last night with reporting on a QAnon conference last weekend during which former Donald Trump adviser and pardoned traitor Michael Flynn said a Myanmar-style military coup “should happen” in ...

No, It’s not Shocking that QAnon Believers Long for a Military coup. For Them, This Is the End Times

Politics

“A Revolution Against Interracial Democracy”

We are currently witnessing a dramatic replaying of the events that followed the U.S. Civil War, when white supremacists nullified Reconstruction

January 21, 2021 • by Judith Giesberg

Among the early images that emerged from the attack on the capitol on Wednesday was footage of a Black Capitol Hill police officer being chased up the capitol steps as he was pursued by a mob of armed white supremacists. The video shows the police officer, armed only with a ...

“A Revolution Against Interracial Democracy”

Columnists

Yes, Biden Should Call Out Trump’s Lawlessness

We can’t ignore it. We must face it head-on

December 15, 2020 • by John Stoehr

Joe Biden is full of surprises. After the Electoral College met Monday to finalize the results of the election, the President-Elect delivered a speech I never thought he’d deliver. He did not say you’re with us or against us, but that’s what he righteously implied. And by implication, Biden gave a ...

Yes, Biden Should Call Out Trump’s Lawlessness

Democracy

Will Trump’s Coup Succeed?

How to steal an election in plain view

November 5, 2020 • by Timothy Kuhner

May posterity never forget the first time in history—November 4, 2020—when an American president admitted to a conspiracy to invalidate millions of lawfully cast ballots in order to retain the presidency. Noting that the election had not yet been called in his favor, despite his lead in several key states, Donald ...

Democracy

The Foiled Confederate Coup of 1861

An interview with historian Ted Widmer about his new book, “Lincoln on the Verge”

October 8, 2020 • by Claire Potter and Ted Widmer

_____ As Americans anxiously count down the days to November 3, 2020, President Donald Trump has been evasive about whether, should he lose, he would accept the results of the election. Commentators have rightly deplored this, arguing that the peaceful transfer of power has always been a cornerstone of American democracy. But ...

Democracy

Coup or Counter-Revolution in Bolivia?

Taking a broader historical view

January 8, 2020 • by Nicolás Lynch

The events in Bolivia continue to arouse sharp controversy over the ways political power can change (Arato, Peruzzotti and Avritzer). The so-called “transitional government” of Jeanine Añez claims legitimacy for having deposed a dictator, while the ousted government of President Evo Morales says it has been victim of a coup d’etat. First and foremost, ...

Latin America & Caribbean

Democratic Degradation and the Bolivian Coup

A response to Andrew Arato’s reflections on Bolivia

December 30, 2019 • by Leonardo Avritzer

In his recent article “Coup, Revolution or Negotiated Regime Change: The Case of Bolivia,” Andrew Arato responds positively to the latest political developments in La Paz. In disagreement with his Latin American students, he expresses the following caution: “I hesitate to concede the point [there was a coup] to begin ...

Democratic Degradation and the Bolivian Coup

Latin America & Caribbean

Authoritarian Coup or Deposed Authoritarian Leader

A response to Andrew Arato’s reflections on Bolivia

December 27, 2019 • by Enrique Peruzzotti

In the past, coups were coups; they were all-or-nothing events where there could be no disagreement over what occurred. Coups consisted of the unlawful removal of an elected government by a (non-elected) segment of the state apparatus (usually the military) and the temporary suspension of the constitutional order in a ...

Authoritarian Coup or Deposed Authoritarian Leader

Latin America & Caribbean

Reflections on Bolivia’s Coup d’État

December 24, 2019 • by Nicolás Figueroa García-Herreros

Clearly his hesitant rejection of attempts to frame these events as a coup derives from the very complexity of the situation. After all, what some people see as a coup, others can plausibly describe as a revolution. From Arato’s perspective, Morales not only broke the principle of legality when he ...

Latin America & Caribbean

Coup, Revolution, or Negotiated Regime Change

What is happening in Bolivia?

December 4, 2019 • by Andrew Arato

At the same time, I fervently hope that what is occurring in Bolivia is not a revolution. Of course that hope may well be disappointed, especially if the right wing (supposedly interim) government seeks to perpetuate itself by blocking the road to genuinely free elections through the repression, media manipulation, ...

Coup, Revolution, or Negotiated Regime Change

Politics

Evo Morales’ Presidency in Bolivia was Imperfect and Contested

His Removal from Power is Still a Coup

November 26, 2019 • by Ian Zuckerman

When the military intervenes to depose a democratically elected leader, it’s a coup. Let’s get that out of the way. Even if that leader’s mandate has never been accepted by segments of the population, even if the leader goes on to alienate some original supporters, even if there are large public protests against the ...

Evo Morales’ Presidency in Bolivia was Imperfect and Contested

Latin America & Caribbean

Legitimacy and Democracy in Bolivia

Rejecting Simplistic Readings of the Morales Ouster

November 12, 2019 • by Jeffrey C. Isaac

It is clear that one important dimension of this polarization was the defection of important elements of the police and the armed forces. The New York Times reported that “Bolivian Military Asks Morales to Resign to Ensure Stability,” quoting General Williams Kaliman, the chief military commander: “"After analyzing the internal conflict situation, ...