Description
Book SynopsisAre interactions between soldiers, politicians, and civilians improving? Every nation has to come to grips with achieving a more enduring harmony between government, the armed forces, and society if it aspires to strengthen its democracy. While there is an abundance of studies on civil-military affairs, few examine all three of these actors, let alone establish any standards with which to assess whether progress is being made. This ambitious book devises a novel framework equipped with six dimensions, each of which opens a unique window into civil-military affairs, and which form a more integrated view of the subject. Those dimensions are accompanied by a set of benchmarks and metrics that assess progress and compare one country against another. The framework is applied to case studies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, with the conviction that insights could be gleaned that may be relevant elsewhere. Ultimately, by unpacking the civil-military relation into its various dimensio
Trade Review'Pion-Berlin and Martínez have set a very high standard for all students of democratization and civil-military relations, not only in Latin America but also in other countries that are engaged in the transition from an authoritarian regime under military control to democracy.' Thomas C. Bruneau, Democratization
'… David Pion-Berlin and Rafael Martínez have produced an excellent book that brings our understanding of civil-military relations in Latin America to a new level.' Thomas C. Bruneau, Latin American Research Review
Table of ContentsTables; Figures; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Military reform, civil-military relations, and democratization; 2. Civil-military developments in the Southern Cone and Brazil: an overview; 3. Reducing military power; 4. Devising a new legal framework; 5. Building defense institutions; 6. Generating knowledge; 7. Achieving convergence; 8. Achieving effectiveness; 9. Explaining civil-military relations reform; Select bibliography; Index.
