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- How to Overthrow a country -
- An objective essay written by Senator Bunker -
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Introduction by Someone Else
----------------------------
I've been meaning to write this file for months, but it
looks like the good Senator from California has put forth that
extra effort I was too lazy to make in putting this together.
This is not a humorous article, to bluntly say; it is designed to
inform you of proper execution of coup d'etat, that 'stroke of
state' that topples governments so often these days. Enjoy.
I. Before you begin
-------------------
Subjugation of a nation is a tremendous undertaking
requiring foresight, ingenuity, and careful thought. The first
task of many is to decide whether the country is a suitable
candidate for a drastic and sudden change in government. The
degree of difficulty varies with size, population, political
awareness, and literacy.
The large state, tending to contain a greater number of
persons, differs substantially from the small state in that the
body politic is much more complex and hence more difficult to
seize control of. It is generally advisable to tackle a smaller,
unimportant regime rather than a country that, if seized, might
draw a foreign power into the coup hence rendering it a failure.
One thing to do before attempting anything of this kind is
to make sure who your friends and allies are. With a little
effort, it is possible to gain a mass of supporters such that it
is quite difficult to quell your actions. A way to do this is to
select (if possible) a nation whose government does not have
support of all of its classes (poor, rich, middle). Or, if
neccessary, lure to your cause a religious minority, or ethnic
minority, that already has grievances against the current regime.
Perhaps you might form a coalition. Summarizing, it is a
requisite to get at least some support besides from soldiers of
fortune, who are generally "gung-ho" incompetents anyway.
Ideally, you should be part of some branch of the armed
forces, police, national guard, or some government agency
equipped with personnel trained in the use of weoponry. In the
public's eye, you already have some sort of authority, so a
little more authority couldn't hurt, could it?
So, now what kind of government should we tackle? A
democratic? Maybe. They are usually fragile, anyway. But much of
the international community will frown on your taking a small,
helpless, struggling democracy, and perhaps take actions that are
unfavorable. How about a Marxist dictatorship? Now, that's a good
idea. Most of the time these are anti-communist, even though they
receive aid from the U.S.S.R., so it is a very good probability
that Russia will not jump to help them. The Soviet Union waits to
see if the new government will be pro-Soviet, not pro-Marxist, so
you will be safe for the first few days. Also, not much of the
world likes Marxist dictatorships.
If you have a choice of which nation to put down (you
usually don't), do not select a NATO country, or some other
nation that receives $4 billion annually, because superpowers do
not like to see their money to go down the drain so suddenly.
Pick Martinique, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, or Surinam. If you're
white, don't go in an African dump unless you have a deathwish.
Plus, if the country has low literacy levels, good, for the
people there won't know what is happening.
Things to avoid:
- High literacy rate
- Large per capita income
- Voter participation
- An "established" nation
- Countries with allies
Things to look for:
- Civilian unrest
- Minority in control
- Centralized government
- Political apathy
Note: An OK from Washington or Moscow couldn't hurt.
II. The Mechanism of the Coup d'Etat
-------------------------------------
The first thing that should be done is the neutralization of
all relevent political forces, including the general
infrastructure of the state. This includes, among other things,
highways, telecommunications facilities (including radio, TV,
etc.), airports, and so on. The reason these are political forces
is that they are controlled by nonmilitary portions of the state
(in the event you were wondering). Unfortunately, these are a
large and spread apart group of targets, so if you have no
tactical or popular support your attemps will be fruitless.
Undoubtedly the absolute first thing you should do is to cut
all forms of communcations with the outside world off at once. Be
sure to include: Telephone, Telex, Wireless, Radio, etc. THIS IS
MOST IMPORTANT. It will prevent the present government from
mobilizing its forces, deploying their forces in strategic
locations that are not normally guarded, etc. It will also
prevent them from calling outside for emergency help,
jeopardizing your hard work, not to mention your life. Soon the
rest of the world will know something has happened, but they will
not know who has taken the government, how the coup is
progressing, and so forth. Make sure all forms of communications
are completely cut.
One other important thing to do is remove air facilities
from the use of the loyalist forces. It is not necessary to seize
control of the airports; all that is needed to be done is to
close the airports. A bomb or two in the middle of the runways
will do nicely, or perhaps a couple of cars parked there, with
snipers preventing their removal. You should not rely on
airfields for your coup; if you rely on them and they are shut
down, you will encounter problems. The old government will
probably rely on them, and you will easily be able to prevent
their usage of them. At an early time during the coup it
should be evident as to its success.
Government officials and employees of higher rank have a
choice to make-- whether to remain loyal to the old government,
or to join the new attempt at government. If they stay loyal,
they may be richly rewarded; if they defect, and the coup fails,
they will be out of a job mighty quick. The success of your coup
depends much on whether many of these officials decide to join
the coup.
In addition to those people who remain loyal and those who
join your cause, there is a "wait and see" element involved.
Often this is the majority of the population, especially if the
present regime is somewhat repressive. They don't want to show
too much enthusiasm for either side, until it is more or less
decided who will gain control. It's best to plan a sudden, abrupt
seizure of all facilities to make the coup seem a smashing
success; if this is done, the undecided will know to whom to
turn.
When you take power from the original government, it is best
to know who actually runs it. In most of the world (but not in
the U.S.) there are two governments: 1- a largely ceremonial
government, the part that people see on television and at most
public events. They are, for the most part, what is known as a
"figurehead", set off to the side to keep the government's
"alter- ego" working on policy. 2- the "real" government, the
government that formulates domestic and foreign policy, makes all
executive decisions, and basically controls the infrastructure of
the nation. The part of the government you will need to take is
(obviously) the latter. It is composed of the executive head
(called by whatever title he may hold- Prime Minister, President,
General Secretary, etc.), ministers, and various deputy and
second ministers who make small yet influential decisions.
The people you are most interested in detaining (or bumping
off) are the Minister of the Interior (he normally supervises the
police forces), the party leaders (of the ruling party, or of the
only party, if a one-party state), the Minister of Defense, and
the central figure of the "real" government. Once these people
are neutralized, in one way or another, the basic functions of
the state will be under your command, at least temporarily.
What is often done is to detain (under house arrest, of
course) the aforementioned officials, and leave the ceremonial
portion of the government alone. This is done to give an aire of
legitimacy and continuity after such an abrupt turn of events.
Later, these may be kept or allowed/forced to leave, as need
arises.
You will not stay in power for long if you do not exert some
sort of influence over the armed forces. The military has the
ability to remove virtually any threat if perceives from within
the boundaries of the nation-- especially YOU. If you are a
foreigner, and do not have (or used to have but have now lost)
support of the militia, prepare to die. You as a person will
cease to exist, unless you leave the country. And, always have
several prepared escape routes planned out in advance-- even the
perfect coup d'etat will have its complicatons, and there will be
things that you have overlooked. That is why it is best to have
thoroughly studied the past and recent history of that state. Do
your homework! If you do you will be richly rewarded.
III. After the Coup
--------------------
Once you have removed the major functions of the government
and bureaucracy from the Loyalist government, you will not yet be
in solid control of them yourself. You will want to retain your
control, and thus prevent a counter-coup from ensuing. Your new
regime will be weakest at this time, and many times some other
group seizes the reins of government hours after a coup d'etat--
and this group is not necessarily the old loyalists. The
military, political forces within the nation, and the public must
all be satisfied to some extent in order for you to continue your
rule. This can be attained either by a show of force, or by
concessions made to any of these groups, such as a democratically
elected government in the near future, or granting the military
more influence over political decisions, and perhaps quickly
promoting a number of young officers that proved faithful during
the crisis. "Promote" those officers who have clout but you
suspect might try to take more power for themselves to desk jobs,
or remote outposts. And give them all pay raises, if at all
possible.
The goal of the new regime is to "shear" off the top layer
of government, and more or less retain the old bureaucracy. Lower
officials should be made to feel as if little or no change has
taken place, and whatever change that has occurred is for the
better. After a short while these people will realize that the
new government is fully in control, and all will be calm and
orderly.
Mass media will act as a Vehicle to assert your control.
Write the first communique as a positive, necessary step for a
long-needed change. Reassure the people that the coup is a revolt
for the masses-- not inspired by communists, or an extremist
group, but by the public in general. Display the national
symbols, and inspire the feeling of patriotism and unity. These
techniques were used quite successfully so recently in the 1985
coup d'etat in the Sudan. People poured into the streets, waving
the old flag of the country, and having an all-around good time.
A popular general was instated as the new chief of state, and a
democratic government was promised.
Lastly, your new regime has to be made to look legitimate in
the eyes of the international community. Show evidence of
atrocities made by the former government, witnesses, etc. Take
positive steps in the direction of popular democracy, promise
elections, and invite the foreign (especially American) press
into the country to see these steps. Soon the world will forget
about your coup, but whenever your country is in the news, they
will remember this.
IV. A Final Word
----------------
You will probably realize now that the fast, simple coup was
actually the result of much swift planning and hard work. The
coup is not an easy thing to accomplish-- should you be planning
one of your own, know what you are doing and be sure to succeed.
Hopefully I have been of some help.
