The Pete Quiñones Show Pete Reads 'Coup D'état' by Edward N. Luttwak with Guests - Complete Part 1 of 2
Feb 7, 2026
Christopher Sandbach, who introduced John to Luttwak's work; Lafayette Lee, an editor and interviewer familiar with Luttwak; Daryl Cooper, historian and long-form podcaster; and John Fieldhouse, former Army officer and insurgency scholar. They read and discuss Luttwak’s manual on coups. Topics include defining coups, state machinery, modern communications, types of takeover, preconditions that invite coups, and fast-strike strategies for seizing power.
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Communications Are The Modern High Ground
- Communications technology changed coup dynamics: today's multiple channels make seizing a single radio insufficient.
- Lutwak updated the book to note social media and Internet as the modern 'high ground' of influence.
Corruption Creates Coup Incentives
- Corruption, not just poverty, creates incentives for coup participants because access to rents matters more than official salaries.
- Lutwak highlights skimming of aid/donations and post-office speaking/lobbying as modern analogues of coup incentives.
Manual Found With Failed Plotters
- Lutwak's manual was reportedly found annotated among failed coup plotters in Africa.
- John Fieldhouse notes the book has appeared in the remains of officers involved in failed coups.