Ghana and Türkiye in light of military coups (1960-2016)

This dissertation critically evaluates military coups in both Ghana and Türkiye between 1960 and 2016 towards understanding the concept of Coup-Proofing, Regime Change and the role of External Forces in engineering coups, uprisings and or interventions. In this regard, the study employed the Process Tracing Method, in addition to historiography and critical historical analysis to help unearth some of the events that led to the occurrences of such coups in both countries. The research revealed that, 'exogenous variables' alone do not necessarily lead to coups without the support of the 'domestic forces'. It also illustrated that, external factors played crucial 'roles' in legitimizing military regimes. Coups and military interventions are used interchangeably but could mean different things to different people depending on their political inclination, support for or against regimes, question of legitimacy and positions on rights and exercises of political power and governance. Regime Change, it must be overly emphasized, has always been through Military Coups in these two countries between 1960 and 2016. The occurrences of coups have devastated the building-blocks and democratic pillars of these two (2) countries' developments and denied them both of the much-needed civil rule that they had always been touted for within the Middle-East and African sub-regions respectively. The work also emphasized and demonstrated how strong and real external factors are and can be; and the significant roles such dark forces play in legitimizing and delegitimizing those claiming authorities in such countries during the coups and in their immediate aftermath. Finally, the dissertation contended that, coups have had very serious implications on human rights, freedoms, justice, democracy, and the overall development of both nations. This work wraps up with a clarion call on Policy Administrators, Decision-Makers, the Legislature, the Judiciary, Civil-Society Organisations as well as the Media, to educate, create awareness and to conscientize the citizenry about the debilitating effects of coups and the need to uphold the strong democratic ideals that these two nations have chalked thus far, in order to at least, reduce, if not to completely eradicate the occurrences of such anti-democratic tendencies. Keywords: Military Coups, Exogenous Variables, Regime Change, Coup-Proofing, Civil-Military Relations, Ghana, Türkiye