A Field Guide to Coups

From Jan 6 and Bolsonaro’s Brazil to ancient Egyptian conspiracies

Field Guide Vol. 260

During the Cold War, coups were almost constant, as the US and USSR fought proxy wars and enabled numerous dictators to seize power in Asia, Latin America and Africa in exchange for their loyalty and support. But since then, the prevalence of coups has declined, to the point where in 2017 Pew Research put out a report celebrating that decline worldwide.

In the last five years, however, we’ve seen a number of high profile coups and coup-attempts: in South Korea, Bangladesh, and across Africa’s Sahel region. And while the United States anticipates a peaceful transfer of power next week, we also remember the violence of January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol.

Throughout history and into the present day, coups have taken place, sometimes deposing tyrants, other times putting them in power. Join us as we explore coup d’etats—including those in Brazil, in Nigeria and in ancient Egypt—through this week’s Field Guide.

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Did you know?

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

King Ramses III, ruler of ancient Egypt between 1187–57 BCE, was killed in an attempted coup d’etat. The coup was plotted by one of Ramses’ secondary wives, Tiye, who wanted her son to take his place on the throne. The coup attempt, known as the Harem Conspiracy, failed, and the organizers were brought to trial.

However, until 2012 historians didn’t know if King Ramses III himself was killed or not. In 2012 researchers announced that a CT scan on the mummy revealed a deep knife wound in the mummy’s throat, indicating that Ramses was in fact murdered.

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Bolsonarists attempt a coup. Brasilia. 2023. Photograph by Foto Arena LTDA/Alamy.

The Laws of Jungle Warfare

By Chris Feliciano Arnold

Long before Lula’s Workers’ Party and Jair Bolsonaro’s “Beef, Bible and Bullets” coalition split the Brazilian electorate in half, the Amazon rainforest was an ideological chessboard where presidents, generals and revolutionaries played out their visions for the country.