Dominica, 1981 — dissident coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as an attempted dissident coup in Dominica on 19 December 1981 against the government of Prime Minister Eugenia Charles, in a year when the small Caribbean island was the target of repeated plots to restore the disgraced former prime minister Patrick John. Earlier in 1981 the bizarre Operation Red Dog scheme, in which American and Canadian white supremacists and Ku Klux Klan figures planned to invade and install John, had been foiled by United States agents in New Orleans. In December 1981 a further attempt was made, this time by soldiers of the disbanded Dominica Defence Force loyal to John, who attacked the police headquarters and prison in the capital Roseau in a bid to free John, who was in custody, and seize power.
The assault was repelled by the police, with several attackers and defenders killed. Eugenia Charles, the Caribbean's first female prime minister, survived both plots and disbanded the mutinous army, going on to govern Dominica for fifteen years and to play a prominent role in supporting the 1983 United States invasion of Grenada.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Datasets agree. At least two of the three reference datasets we check against carry this event, and none of them disagrees about its date or its result.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
05412191981- Albrecht/Koehler/Schutz (CAM) id
CAM-54-1981-12-19
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Prime Minister Eugenia Charles survived the December 1981 attack by pro-Patrick John soldiers and disbanded the army.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
Powell and Thyne
New York Times
Washington Post
Irish Times
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →