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INTERNATIONAL experts tell poor countries to stick to stuff they are good at. If you have fertile soil and lots of rain, grow rice. Don’t strive for high-tech success. Guinea-Bissau, on the swampy west African coast, cannot rival nearby countries in cocoa production or mining. But there is one thing it excels at: the country of 1.5m has seen five military coups in the past decade. They happen more often than elections. No president has served a full term since independence from Portugal in 1974.Heavily armed troops again took control of key parts of the capital, Bissau, in a carefully planned operation on April 12th. They swiftly detained the front-runner in the first round of presidential elections on March 29th, Carlos Gomes Junior, as well as the acting president, Raimundo Pereira. The soldiers had no intention of repeating mistakes made last month in Mali, where plotters floundered after failing to capture the head of state.Citizens were only mildly surprised to find state radio silenced and soldiers patrolling streets. Coups can be a lucrative business, and although its main export is cashew nuts, Guinea-Bissau offers tempting opportunities. Located at Africa’s westernmost tip, it is a funnel towards Europe for Latin American cocaine. The army controls the trade; its officers have even clawed back drugs seized by the police, who are so ill-equipped that they must...