Throughout history, popular mass uprisings have led to many regime crises in Africa and the Middle East. The comportment of the military is of great importance as it shapes a revolt’s outcome....Show moreThroughout history, popular mass uprisings have led to many regime crises in Africa and the Middle East. The comportment of the military is of great importance as it shapes a revolt’s outcome. Coups d’état are the traditional indicator for measuring military behaviour. Various domestic and international factors affect the behaviour of the armed forces and thus, coups. This thesis looks at one of the most critical international influencers: foreign military aid. More precisely, it tries to understand how two specific U.S. Foreign Military Assistance programs, the IMET program and the FMF program, affect the behaviour of the recipient African or Middle Eastern military. Data on coup outcome and success are used to measure military behaviour. A cross-national statistical analysis is conducted in 60 countries between 2000 and 2018. The analysis finds that more education and training lead to a smaller chance for a coup to be attempted and to be successful in the recipient country. Furthermore, it finds that as U.S. financing increases, so does the likelihood of a coup. Apart from this, the results indicate a significant positive relationship between the effect of the FMF program on the chances of a coup to be successful.Show less
