Generals and democracy do not and should not mix. Yet, many fractious, diverse and struggling developing countries often mistakenly insist on ‘strong’ leadership – more often than not meaning a military man - ostensibly to hold these nations together. In many African countries, generals are often given power or take power through coups – although, thankfully, such methods are no longer the order of the day. Leaders are often generous to the generals, because they are such a potential source of instability. In these instances large amounts of scarce resources are spent on military toys, rather than on bread.

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