Military interventions in French West Africa and economic community of West African states

This paper locates the root causes of frequent democratic upturns in French West Africa to subversion of democratic standards and institutional weakness of ECOWAS. The paper noted that coups in Africa are distinctive phenomenon that disregards fundamental values and challenges persons, societies and laws. Instances of military interventions in Africa appear to be more rampant in the French West African countries than in other countries in the sub-regions. The paper further noted that the French military policy in West Africa which aims at securing the needed raw materials and market for French defense and non-defense industry is responsible for the frequent coups in French West African states in the sub-region. Although, ECOWAS has enough mechanisms and institutions to address the teething security problems in the sub-region, several gaps and defects exist. These gaps account for the inability of the sub-regional organization to control the rampant cases of coups in West Africa. So long as ECOWAS depends on United States, France, European Union, United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization for military and non-military assistance, the future of West African democracy is blurred and coups will continuously be used to subvert democratically elected leaders who oppose the capitalist global military and non-military interests.