Coups Are Becoming Rarer

Zimbabwe's leader Robert Mugabe appears to be clinging to power despite an apparent coup attempt. There was surprise on Sunday when the 93-year old president appeared on television, declaring his intention to remain in power. Despite the uncertainty in Zimbabwe at the moment, coup attempts are becoming rarer. Since the end of the Second World War, there have been 225 successful coups worldwide. In the 1960s, there were 61 while between 1970 and 1979, there were 56. In recent years, that has dropped considerably. Since the turn of the century, there have only been 16 successful coup attempts.