MILITARY RESURGENCE IN AFRICAN POLITICS AND THE DRIVE FOR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
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The spate of democratic wave that blew across the continent of Africa in the 1990s came with the hope of
economic transformation and an end to the decades of backwardness, poverty and want. Prior to this period,
democratic governance was the exception rather than the norm. Military high command across the continent
dictated the pace for many decades and most times falling short of the messianic appeal that drew them into
politics and governing with their diktat nature and abuse of human rights, the economies of most countries of
the continent where the military juntas were entrenched, experienced stall and retrogression, creating contrition
for grumbling by the weakened civil society in these countries. However, the turn in the dynamics of the
international system following the collapse of communism and insistence of the continent’s development
partners on democratization, compelled many of the military juntas to retreat back to their barracks, thus
opening the space for inflow of investments which is in dire need to reverberate the ailing economies. But after
a brief spell of power in the hands of the civilian authorities, the lustre of power seem to be drawing some
elements in the military high command to the old scenarios which resemble a reverse wave of democratization,
thus allowing the gains of civilian advancement to be lost while the countries relapse. One of the expected areas
of relapses with the resurgence of the military back in power is in capital flows into the countries for
development purposes. The examines these issues and concludes that the resurgence of military rule in the West
African sub-region is a set back to the development of the countries in the sub-region
Keywords
JA Political science (General)