Militarization of World Elections

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Over the last ten years, armies around the world have gotten more involved in their own countries' politics and making laws in ways not seen since the Cold War. This is happening for many reasons, but China and Russia are big factors in causing, allowing, and speeding up these military takeovers and other ways armies get power. China and Russia help armies to take control and keep it, or they help armies to be part of the politics inside a country.

This global trend has many important effects on policies: it affects people in countries where this is happening, including their rights, political parties, and how they are ruled. It also affects the balance of power worldwide between democracies and authoritarian governments. China especially wants a different kind of world order where they have more control, and they are trying to get more important resources and minerals that might be important if there is a war between the U.S. and China. This also affects U.S. leaders and other democratic countries because they have to deal with the influence of China and Russia in important places. It also affects leaders who are trying to understand how the world is changing and get ready for possible problems with China.

More and more, armies are taking control directly. For example, in 2021, there were as many coup attempts as there have been in any year in the 21st century, and this has continued since then. In Asia, there have been coups in countries like Myanmar and Thailand in the last ten years. In many other places around the world, there have been coups or attempts at coups in countries like Austria, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Honduras, Moldova, Montenegro, Turkey, and many African countries, including Niger and Gabon.

In another situation, leaders who were elected by people but act like authoritarians have asked armies to help them stay powerful, especially during elections, in countries like Brazil, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Venezuela. For example, in Indonesia, the political leaders have involved the army in elections, like what happened in Brazil, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, and other places. Elected leaders are also giving the army more jobs in governing and making laws. These leaders, from Bangladesh to Brazil, from Ecuador to Indonesia to Mexico to the Philippines, are using armies as police, election watchers, planners, heads of big companies, and even judges. Armies in these roles have fewer rules to follow than regular police or judges.

This increase in the role of armies has different causes inside countries and from outside influences. In many countries where armies are getting more power, people are losing trust in most institutions except the army. This is happening at a time when democracy around the world has been getting weaker for over fifteen years, and more people are open to authoritarian ideas. Another reason is that leaders who were elected but act like populists, such as the president of Indonesia, want to have more power without anyone stopping them.

But a big reason for this increase in army power is competition between countries and a desire to have a different kind of world order than the one led by the U.S. China and Russia are either helping armies take over or helping them stay powerful once they have control. This makes the situation worse, and China especially is trying to make a world where they have more control instead of the U.S. Russia used to not be involved in Africa after the Cold War, but now they are involved in many African countries using private armies and regular soldiers. Russia has caused coups in African countries like Libya and Mali, and they are helping dictators stay in control in places like the Central African Republic.

Russia is also making army power stronger in countries like Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo, and Guinea, among others. They want to make armies stronger in places like Niger and Gabon too. Some experts think Russia is trying to get friendly with other African armies. Despite problems in Russia, private armies from Russia are still doing things in Africa, and regular Russian soldiers might go to places where these private armies used to go.

China is also making army takeovers stronger, but they do it differently than Russia. China seems to know about coups before they happen and supports them quietly. Then they use different ways to help the army stay in control, like stopping the United Nations from saying anything bad about the new government. China gives support to countries where the army is getting more powerful, like Myanmar, Thailand, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Sudan.

Also, China and Russia are trying to support leaders who are giving more power to the army in countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. China and Russia are saying openly that they want to help countries have governments like theirs, and they are giving more support to countries where armies are getting more power, to make a world where the U.S. isn't the most important country. They want to get important things that will help them stay in control and get ready for a war with the U.S., which is what the leaders of China and Russia want

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