India, March 20 -- Military coups, says Edward Luttwak in his Practical Handbook Coup d'Etat, can be immediately rewarding but the penalty of failure "is far greater than having to eat out of mess tin" he warns. After an avalanche of coups in Latin America, South East Asia and South Asia, it is resurgent in the African continent with a focus on the French Sahel. On 22nd February Guinea's military leader dissolved the government while retaining charge. In South Asia, the Pakistan Army has endured calling the shots in a new hybrid rule which was being played out clumsily recently.

In South East Asia, the Thai military has donned Bond Street suits, created political parties and made a pact with the monarchy as joint de facto rulers. Monarch...