International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 8, Issue 3 (May-June 2026) Submit your research before last 3 days of June to publish your research paper in the issue of May-June.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 8 Issue 3
May-June 2026

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar UTeM - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

Divergent Paths: Military Coups and Policy Outcomes in West Africa

Author(s) Poorav Singh Ghai
Country India
Abstract This paper examines the divergent outcomes of recent military coups in the four West African states of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, focusing on the question: why have the first three undergone radical shifts in foreign and domestic policy while Guinea has remained relatively stable? Through a comparative case study method, the analysis introduces a four-factor explanatory framework based on (1) colonial legacy and anti-colonial sentiment, (2) geopolitical positioning, (3) economic resource leverage, and (4) security landscape and public sentiment. The findings suggest that Guinea's early and complete break from French neocolonial influence, coastal access to maritime trade, dominant bauxite exports, and absence of widespread jihadist insurgency allowed it to avoid the diplomatic isolation and security-driven realignments experienced by its Sahelian counterparts. Conversely, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—constrained by landlocked geography, volatile security environments, and dependence on French military and economic networks—have adopted confrontational postures, aligning with Russia, China, and other non-Western powers. The paper concludes that post-coup foreign policy trajectories in West Africa are best understood through the interaction of structural and ideological factors, rather than regime type alone.
Keywords West Africa, military coups, Guinea, Sahel, foreign policy, post-coup regimes, bauxite, anti-colonialism, geopolitical strategy, political stability, comparative politics, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, geopolitics
Field Sociology > Politics
Published In Volume 7, Issue 4, July-August 2025
Published On 2025-08-27
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.54199
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 2582-2160
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 1Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 6

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About IJFMR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9687-828-838 editor@ijfmr.com
Powered by Sky Research Publication and Journals