NIGERIA, Dec. 4 -- None of the three Guineas is thriving, but in Guinea-Bissau, the country that sits on Africa's map like a tongue of fire, recent events are twisting that nation's fate into profound misery.

Guinea Conakry is in the grip of a military dictatorship with a messianic complex, while Equatorial Guinea is led by an authoritarian civilian government that has lost its way.

Now, Guinea-Bissau, the country that gave the world Amilcar Cabral, one of Africa's most foresighted revolutionaries, has added manufactured military coups to its long list of notoriety, which includes being one of the continent's most deadly drug routes.

Making a coup

On November 26, a military regime led by General Horta Inta-A deposed the elected gove...