Military Essays
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Pion-Berlin (2001) argues that ôThe development, quality, and survival of democratic systems depend on governments making the armed forces their political servants and policy instruments rather than the other way around,ö (1). Civil-Military relations in Latin America are complex and fraught with conflict and violence. Paramilitary groups, leftist insurgent organizations, and other guerilla forces continue to undermine the sovereignty of a number of Latin American states. While Civil-Military relations in the region have improved over the past few decades, they are still highly unstable. Corruption and drug-trafficking have undermine governments and alleged democratic regimes in many Latin American nations, as men in uniform dictate government action and not elected officials. In discussing resolutions or approaches to Civil-Military relations in Latin America, the three analytical perspectives of rationalism, structuralism, and culturalism best act as a framework or paradigm for understanding. Hunter, Fitch, Norden, and Trinkunas offer theories on Civil-Military relations in Latin America from a variety of perspectives. Despite their viewpoints, Pion-Berlin (2001) argues that Latin American government leaders face three main challenges to regain control of the militaries in their respective nations:Curb military influence while preserving or enhancing military professionalism. Respond to the forces of globalization and market-oriented reform
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nizations, according to Desch (2000). When the threat is external military orientation is outward toward an enemy. When the threat is internal, the military becomes oriented inward and can conflict with civil rule. Desch (2000) investigates his model against a number of case studies in the Civil-Military relations of different states in the post-WWII era. His testing results in six factors he believes responsible for various trajectories in Civil-Military relations that might best explain those in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. As Desch (2000) maintains, the following six conditions most impact Civil-Military relations:
The depth of experience of leaders.
The degree of unity of civilians.
The control mechanisms adopted by civilians.
The degree of unity of the military.
Orientation of the military.
The degree of divergence between the ideas of civilians and the military.
These variables have a direct impact on the trajectory or degree of civilian control over the military. The nature of internal and external threats and these variables will work together to either orient the military toward or away from civilian leadership. As Pion-Berlin (2001) maintains, DeschÆs model helps understand why in different countries l
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3478
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)
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