Preventing military intervention in West Africa a case study of Ghana

Abstract

Consistently poor economic performance in Ghana and elsewhere in West Africa has led to pressure on governments from civil society, which has in turn led to authoritarianism and a search for compliance that has drawn the military into politics and finally into government. Military governments have performed equally poorly in economic management and governance and have relied on the civilians they had overthrown to govern. Likewise, civilian administrations have relied upon, and manipulated the military institution and structures thereby politicizing the military and restarting the cycle of military intervention. This cycle has repeated itself several times in the post colonial period and any effort to design a system for preventing military interventions must address itself to this cycle. The thesis will also show that the relationships between the military, the executive branch, Ministry of Defense and the legislature are very important in ensuring effective civil-military relations and breaking the cycle of military interventions. In addition, a balance of the activities of the intelligence agencies, which must operate in secrecy but with some form of transparency is very important in democratic consolidation.