Niger coup - another "constitutional coup" like Honduras?

Its sure looking like it is.

...Tandja first took power in democratic elections in 1999 that followed an era of coups and rebellions. But instead of stepping down as mandated by law on Dec. 22, he triggered a political crisis by pushing through a new constitution last August that removed term limits and gave him near-totalitarian powers...

...Tandja claims he is only pushing to stay in power because his people have demanded it...

Let's see if foggy bottom gets this one right, or more likely, sides with the deposed would be dictator for life. Being comprised of mostly dictators, defacto dictators, and corrupt kleptocrats, the African Union has of course condemned the coup.

So far, the anti-dictator forces have keep the former dictator alive, which historically is a grave mistake. D. J. Goodspeed examined the characteristics of successful and failed coups in The Conspirators: A Study of the Coup D'Etat and allowing the deposed to live to mount opposition, make international appeals and such, frequently results in failure of the coup. With the deposed taking a dirt nap, coups have a much better chance of being presented, and accepted, as done deals. After a modest period of grousing and bitching, the international diplomatic community moves on and accepts the new reality when return to the old reality is physically impossible.

Q: Is this "new crew" any better than the old crew?
A: That remains to be seen.

Q: Why should we care about this coup one way or the other?
A: One word - U.R.A.N.I.U.M. Niger has lots of Uranium ore and hasn't been too particular about who they sell it to in the past.

posted by Purp at 11:33 AM

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