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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou

@salahbhpolisci.bsky.social
3.1K followers 278 following 393 posts

Postdoctoral Associate for the Center of the Middle East at Rice University's Baker Institute of Public Policy. Former USIP Peace Scholar. Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida. www.salahbenhammou.com

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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Latest piece out at @africa.theconversation.com. My co-author, Hiba Naciri and I examine recent developments in Mali and showcase how they are part of a broader trend towards personalist rule in the Sahel. theconversation.com/malis-milita...
theconversation.com
Mali’s military leader is consolidating power. Why this is dangerous
Military regimes have shifted from presenting themselves as temporary ‘corrective’ interventions to becoming personalised systems of rule.
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
POMEPS @pomeps.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Check out "Civilian Support for Coups and Post-Coup Buyer’s Remorse in the Sahel" by Salah Ben Hammou, and Jonathan Powell, featured in POMEPS Studies 59: Political Movements in North Africa and the Sahel! pomeps.org/civilian-sup...
pomeps.org
Civilian Support for Coups and Post-Coup Buyer’s Remorse in the Sahel - Project on Middle East Political Science
Salah Ben Hammou, Ph.D., Rice University Jonathan Powell, Ph.D., Campbellsville University   Between 2020 and 2025, the world watched as military coups swept across the Sahel, with soldiers turning th...
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Happy to have contributed a piece to the new @pomeps.bsky.social studies. Here, we introduce the concept of post-coup buyers’ remorse, in which civilian movements who align with military coupists are often short-changed once the latter consolidate authority. pomeps.org/civilian-sup...
pomeps.org
Civilian Support for Coups and Post-Coup Buyer’s Remorse in the Sahel - Project on Middle East Political Science
Salah Ben Hammou, Ph.D., Rice University Jonathan Powell, Ph.D., Campbellsville University   Between 2020 and 2025, the world watched as military coups swept across the Sahel, with soldiers turning th...
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 16/02/2026
Burkina Faso’s junta has dissolved all political parties, concentrating power further and closing off space for independent civic life. 🛑 theconversation.com/burkina-faso... #Politics
theconversation.com
Burkina Faso has dissolved all political parties: why African coup leaders often turn on the people who supported them
Once in power, military rulers have little incentive to share authority.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Latest with @africa.theconversation.com. I argue that Burkina Faso’s recent efforts to ban political parties fits into a broader pattern. Even coups that begin with public backing often see military leader turn against their own supporters and civilian allies. theconversation.com/burkina-faso...
theconversation.com
Burkina Faso has dissolved all political parties: why African coup leaders often turn on the people who supported them
Once in power, military rulers have little incentive to share authority.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
ICYMI: if you’ve ever wondered about coup contagion, this paper offers some insight
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Early Christmas gift: my latest study with @drpowell.bsky.social just went live over at International Studies Review. Read it here: academic.oup.com/isr/article/...
academic.oup.com
Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion and Containment
Abstract. Observers have long posited that military coups can spread across borders, yet empirical support for such contagion remains inconsistent. We argu
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
If you care about topics like coup contagion and authoritarian resilience, please check out our latest
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Early Christmas gift: my latest study with @drpowell.bsky.social just went live over at International Studies Review. Read it here: academic.oup.com/isr/article/...
academic.oup.com
Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion and Containment
Abstract. Observers have long posited that military coups can spread across borders, yet empirical support for such contagion remains inconsistent. We argu
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Final article of the year: sharing my latest with @drpowell.bsky.social at @us.theconversation.com We’ve written before on Africa’s post-2020 coup wave and the question of contagion. This time, we explore how would-be plotters watch, learn, and act. theconversation.com/coup-contagi...
theconversation.com
Coup contagion? A rash of African power grabs suggests copycats are taking note of others’ success
Since 2020, there have been 11 successful coups across Africa, and five thwarted attempts.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
This speaks to a broader issue I see with this site. Stories on issues in places other than the U.S. receive much less engagement. There’s increasingly little space to promote and discuss issues that are occurring globally. It’s like some form of U.S. exceptionalism in the reverse
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
My Q&A interview on Guinea-Bissau's coup with the Conversation is now available. Read it here: theconversation.com/guinea-bissa...
theconversation.com
Guinea-Bissau coup: election uncertainty has triggered military takeovers before
The coup sends a signal that electoral rules and constitutional procedures can be overridden by force.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Now that the coup has failed, we’re deploying troops to protect the government!!
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
This is the third coup in the last two months. It seems we’re starting to hit an uptick yet again in the coup wave, which had largely gone quiet since 2023. Last September, there was a thwarted coup plot in Benin with alleged ties to the Burkinabe junta.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Had some words of mine quoted in a recent article over @theweek.com on West Africa's coup wave. theweek.com/world-news/g...
theweek.com
West Africa’s ‘coup cascade’
Guinea-Bissau takeover is the latest in the Sahel region, which has quietly become global epicentre of terrorism
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Civil society on the ground is alleging that the incumbent, Embaló, instigated the coup and handed power to the military to stop the release of election results. If true, this would be an example of a common trend where losing incumbents instigate coups to stop the opposition’s ascent.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
If this is what actually happened, then Embaló would do well to remember that even incumbents and civilians close to power who instigate coups are often shortchanged by their allies in fatigues once the dust settles.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Civil society on the ground is alleging that the incumbent, Embaló, instigated the coup and handed power to the military to stop the release of election results. If true, this would be an example of a common trend where losing incumbents instigate coups to stop the opposition’s ascent.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
A military coup appears to have happened in Guinea-Bissau. The warning signs were there, leading up to Sunday's elections. @drpowell.bsky.social & I wrote about these warning signs last week over at @africa.theconversation.com. theconversation.com/guinea-bissa...
theconversation.com
Guinea-Bissau’s presidential poll has already failed the credibility test
What’s at stake in Guinea-Bissau’s election is a wider regional crisis in which incumbents erode legitimacy.
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
📢 New Paper Alert! Happy to share that our article “Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion & Containment” — co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social — is forthcoming in International Studies Review. Are coups actually contagious, and if so, how? 🧵 below (1/)
Following the Free Officers title page and abstract
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Nisrin Elamin @nisrinelamin.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
I wrote this essay in the current Sudan issue of Transition Magazine titled "The Politics of Hunger" which argues that the current hunger crisis has been decades in the making. It begins with Nimeiri and looks at US engagement over the decades. transitionmagazine.fas.harvard.edu/the-politics...
transitionmagazine.fas.harvard.edu
The Politics of Hunger in Sudan – Transition Magazine
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
ICYMI
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
📢 New Paper Alert! Happy to share that our article “Following the Free Officers: Explaining the Politics of Coup Contagion & Containment” — co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social — is forthcoming in International Studies Review. Are coups actually contagious, and if so, how? 🧵 below (1/)
Following the Free Officers title page and abstract
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Had the pleasure to join the good folks over at the Centre for African Conflict & Development to offer my perspective on the Madagascar coup and other related developments in their latest podcast episode. open.spotify.com/episode/18ea...
open.spotify.com
EP 108: The Recent Coup in Madagascar with Dr Salah Ben Hammou
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 07/11/2025
Protestors in Madagascar are now confronting the reality that the military—once an ally to their cause—now holds the reins of power.
foreignpolicy.com
Madagascar’s ‘Coupvolution’ Is Following a Familiar Pattern
Gen Z protesters now have buyer’s remorse.
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Happy to share my latest piece at Foreign Policy w/ @drpowell.bsky.social. Madagascar’s recent coup reflects a wider “coupvolution” trend - civilians help topple leaders, only to be sidelined once the military takes over. Here's what they can do. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/06/m...
foreignpolicy.com
Madagascar’s ‘Coupvolution’ Is Following a Familiar Pattern
Gen Z protesters now have buyer's remorse.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Happy to share my latest piece at Foreign Policy w/ @drpowell.bsky.social. Madagascar’s recent coup reflects a wider “coupvolution” trend - civilians help topple leaders, only to be sidelined once the military takes over. Here's what they can do. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/06/m...
foreignpolicy.com
Madagascar’s ‘Coupvolution’ Is Following a Familiar Pattern
Gen Z protesters now have buyer's remorse.
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Armed Forces & Society Journal @afssage.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
As we see a rise in coups across Africa, Salah Ben Hammou (@salahbhpolisci.bsky.social) and Jonathan Powell (@drpowell.bsky.social) have been making significant contributions to conversations about coups around the world, including in AF&S! Find their articles here: journals.sagepub.com/home/afs
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Sharing my new article co-authored with @drpowell.bsky.social over at The Conversation on the coup in Madagascar. We explore what happens when regional organizations preach democracy but protect incumbents. This disconnect fuels instability and public distrust. theconversation.com/madagascar-c...
theconversation.com
Madagascar coup: why turning a blind eye to an unpopular president weakens regional bodies
As Malagasy citizens demanded accountability, international institutions conferred legitimacy on a president with dubious democratic credentials.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Madagascar appears to be following the pattern seen in other recent post-coup states, where the military chooses to retain power rather than hand it over to civilian authorities: www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...
aljazeera.com
Madagascar’s new army ruler to be sworn in as Rajoelina confirms departure
Military leader to take his oath as president on Friday as African Union calls for the restoration of civilian rule.
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Sharing my latest with @foreignpolicy.com - it isn't just the seizure of power that spreads during coup contagion. Strategies to consolidate power do, too. foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/09/c...
foreignpolicy.com
Coup Leaders Are Rewriting Their Playbook
Even when transitions end in elections, the goal is not to exit power but rather to entrench it.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Sharing my latest with @foreignpolicy.com - it isn't just the seizure of power that spreads during coup contagion. Strategies to consolidate power do, too. foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/09/c...
foreignpolicy.com
Coup Leaders Are Rewriting Their Playbook
Even when transitions end in elections, the goal is not to exit power but rather to entrench it.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
ICYMI
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Sharing my latest w/ the Conversation @africa.theconversation.com theconversation.com/coups-in-wes...
theconversation.com
Coups in west Africa have five things in common: knowing what they are is key to defending democracy
Five years since the Mali coup of 2020, the key lesson is that the international community must move beyond the view of coups as isolated events.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Sharing my latest w/ the Conversation @africa.theconversation.com theconversation.com/coups-in-wes...
theconversation.com
Coups in west Africa have five things in common: knowing what they are is key to defending democracy
Five years since the Mali coup of 2020, the key lesson is that the international community must move beyond the view of coups as isolated events.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Don’t have much in me to give a thorough analysis of the recent developments, so I’ll leave you with this: this shit is bad and will likely worsen. That is all.
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Dr. Devon Cantwell-Chavez @devoncantwell.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
I remember when I started grad school I had no idea what a postdoc was or how to get one. We have an all-star line up including @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social, @erincikanek.bsky.social, Leann Mclaren, and Sherry Zaks with myself and India Lenear moderating!
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
notes on sudan @notesonsudan.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Universities transformed into torture chambers in Khartoum. www.france24.com/en/live-news...
A screenshot from a news article featuring the phrase "university building-turned-prison."
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Conditional acceptances used to mean something to journals (usually a quick response time but here we are)
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
Yassmin Abdel-Magied @yassmin.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Feel like you know nothing about Sudan? I sat down with the team at Prospect Magazine to talk about the conflict, and why it’s NOT a forgotten war, but an invisibilised one: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/podcasts/pro...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Sudan’s ‘war of opportunity’, with Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Is Sudan really the “forgotten war”? Former broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied breaks down the situation and explains which countries are positioning th...
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
highly highly recommend this piece by @edebruin.bsky.social & @hsulli.bsky.social. really great breakdown and a thoughtful discussion on the dangers of civilian coup conspirators
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
kim yi dionne (she/her) @dadakim.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
If you're just learning about the Bolsonaro news, I strongly recommend reading @hsulli.bsky.social & @edebruin.bsky.social's piece in @goodauth.bsky.social that details the steps Bolsonaro and his allies took to prepare for losing the 2022 presidential election. goodauthority.org/news/brazil-...
goodauthority.org
The investigation into Brazil's coup plot continues.
Brazil's election coup plot was well planned by Jair Bolsonaro and his allies, a police report finds. Was Brazil's democracy at risk?
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
When one of the greatest minds to think on democracy acknowledges that neither historical precedent or statistical evidence is helpful in understanding what we're seeing unfold, you know we're in a dire state. This is a must-read.
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Reposted by Dr. Salah Ben Hammou
David Darmofal @daviddarmofal.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
If you’re going to follow one political scientist’s Substack, it should be Adam Przeworski’s.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
ICYMI, wrote on mutual aid networks amid Sudan's civil war w/ Kelsey Norman for Foreign Policy last week.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Sharing my latest with Kelsey Norman over at Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com. Here, we discuss how mutual aid networks in Sudan offer an alternative model of aid distribution in armed conflict. foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/07/s...
foreignpolicy.com
Sudan’s New Model for Aid Distribution
Rather than rely on other countries or international organizations, local communities have banded together.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Sharing my latest with Kelsey Norman over at Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com. Here, we discuss how mutual aid networks in Sudan offer an alternative model of aid distribution in armed conflict. foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/07/s...
foreignpolicy.com
Sudan’s New Model for Aid Distribution
Rather than rely on other countries or international organizations, local communities have banded together.
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Dr. Salah Ben Hammou @salahbhpolisci.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
MAGA loves coups, not cops (new slogan, Democrats, call me)
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