The opportunities and limits of a military coup as a conflict resolution mechanism for social change: The case of Zimbabwe

Start Date

10-2-2021 3:30 PM

End Date

10-2-2021 4:30 PM

Proposal Type

Presentation

Proposal Description

This paper examines Zimbabwe’s transition to the so called ‘new dispensation’ that came to power through a military coup in November 2017 with the fall of long-time authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe. Data was collected through qualitative fieldwork research in Zimbabwe from June 2019-December 2019. The main question centers around whether Zimbabwe’s ‘soft coup’ or ‘a coup that was not a coup’ was an appropriate conflict resolution tool to solve the power struggles within the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriot Front (ZANU PF). The paper attempts to examine the relationship between the state and the military and other state apparatuses and non-state actors in the succession politics in Zimbabwe. Whose interests was the Zimbabwe military serving in removing Mugabe from power through an unconstitutional process.? How has the new administration performed in terms of peace-building, conflict resolution, political reforms, human rights and economic development?

Additional Comments

None

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Feb 10th, 3:30 PM Feb 10th, 4:30 PM

The opportunities and limits of a military coup as a conflict resolution mechanism for social change: The case of Zimbabwe

This paper examines Zimbabwe’s transition to the so called ‘new dispensation’ that came to power through a military coup in November 2017 with the fall of long-time authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe. Data was collected through qualitative fieldwork research in Zimbabwe from June 2019-December 2019. The main question centers around whether Zimbabwe’s ‘soft coup’ or ‘a coup that was not a coup’ was an appropriate conflict resolution tool to solve the power struggles within the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriot Front (ZANU PF). The paper attempts to examine the relationship between the state and the military and other state apparatuses and non-state actors in the succession politics in Zimbabwe. Whose interests was the Zimbabwe military serving in removing Mugabe from power through an unconstitutional process.? How has the new administration performed in terms of peace-building, conflict resolution, political reforms, human rights and economic development?