The Military and Politics in Guinea

An Instrumental Explanation of Political Stability

Bibliographic Data

ID2340906
AuthorsMamadou Diouma Bah (0000-0001-9177-2206, Political Science and Public Policy Programme, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume41
Issue1
Pages69-95
Publication date2015-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArmed Forces & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0095-327X • E-ISSN: 1556-0848
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0095327x13495391
OpenAlexW2144740369
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited11

This article explains why the Guinean state remained resilient to armed conflicts following military intervention in politics. The military establishment has been heavily involved in Guinean politics for nearly three decades during which time it has exhibited varied political behavior. This protracted military involvement in Guinean political affairs presented a threat to Guinea's stability in a region where large-scale armed conflicts are often associated with military intervention in politics. This article explores the linkages between military behavior in politics and political stability by using a model derived from ethnic and identity literature. It concludes that by adopting an ethnic group-like behavior, the Guinean military played a vital role in maintaining political stability during the period between 1984 and 2010. This is in contrast to findings in recent studies where military intervention in West African politics is strongly linked with the onset of large-scale civil conflicts

Development economics · Ethnic group · Intervention (counseling) · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science) · African Studies and Geopolitics · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology

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