Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective

Nations are not helpless
if the military decides to stage a coup. On dozens of occasions in recent
decades, even in the face of intimidated political leaders and international
indifference, civil society has risen up to challenge putschists through
large-scale nonviolent direct action and noncooperation. How can an
unarmed citizenry mobilize so quickly and defeat a powerful military
committed to seizing control of the government? What accounts for the
success or failure of nonviolent resist...