Abstract
Goal displacement is a common phenomenon among the armies of developing nations. Armies in these countries not only play an important role in political trends & social value, but also assume power on their own terms to effect change & fashion a particular form of government. Iraq is no exception to this general rule. 2 clusters of military coups d'etats are contrasted. The 1st cluster consists of 7 coups which took place between 1936-1941; the 2nd cluster deals with: (1) ranks of the participant officer in each cluster (POC), (2) educational background of POC, (3) SES of POC, (4) size of POC, (5) organizational form of the coups in each cluster, (6) role of the different units, ie, army, air force, etc, (7) ideology of POC, & (8) the amount of violence used in these coups. The study of these 2 clusters leads to the conclusion that there are sharp differences between the 2 clusters on the 8 dimensions outlined above. The major causes for these differences & their implication for domestic & foreign policy are discussed.