Military meddling in political affairs has long been common in Latin America, and the recent rebirth of democracy in many countries only heightens concern that military leaders will refuse to submit to civilian authority. One hallmark of progress is the willingness of the military to work through rather than around democratic institutions in Argentina, a country with a long history of militarism. This book examines the influence that institutions have had over the implementation of policy in Argentina between 1983 and 1995, revealing that policies can succeed despite military resistance. To explain the workings of the new Argentine politics, David Pion-Berlin draws both on archival sources and on interviews with some one hundred civilian and military figures-from presidential advisers and members of Congress to senior officers from all branches of the military-to show how programs are debated by political actors and how authority is dispersed across numerous institutions. Pion-Berlin explains how Argentine democratic institutions mediate the sometimes differing interests of civilian and military authorities in order to determine whether or not soldiers succeed at defeating policies they oppose. Eschewing conventional approaches that view the military as a domineering power, he shows that the government can either enable or constrain the military's authority and that the success or failure of civilian leaders in imposing their policy on the military is a function of the centralization of policymaking and the insulation of policymakers from external pressures. Case studies of three issues-accountability for human-rights violations, military budgets, and defense reform-exemplify this process.

Through Corridors of Power: Institutions and Civil-Military Relations in Argentina

History

Pion-Berlin, David

Americas

Penn State University Press

Military meddling in political affairs has long been common in Latin America, and the recent rebirth of democracy in many countries only heightens concern that military leaders will refuse to submit to civilian authority. One hallmark of progress is the willingness of the military to work through rather than around democratic institutions in Argentina, a country with a long history of militarism. This book examines the influence that institutions have had over the implementation of policy in Argentina between 1983 and 1995, revealing that policies can succeed despite military resistance. 
To explain the workings of the new Argentine politics, David Pion-Berlin draws both on archival sources and on interviews with some one hundred civilian and military figures—from presidential advisers and members of Congress to senior officers from all branches of the military—to show how programs are debated by political actors and how authority is dispersed across numerous institutions. Pion-Berlin explains how Argentine democratic institutions mediate the sometimes differing interests of civilian and military authorities in order to determine whether or not soldiers succeed at defeating policies they oppose. 
Eschewing conventional approaches that view the military as a domineering power, he shows that the government can either enable or constrain the military's authority and that the success or failure of civilian leaders in imposing their policy on the military is a function of the centralization of policy-making and the insulation of policy makers from external pressures. Case studies of three issues—accountability for human-rights violations, military budgets, and defense reform—exemplify this process.

This ambitious book offers a clear and unified framework for understanding political change across Latin America. The impact of U.S. hegemony and the global economic system on the region is widely known, and scholars and advocates alike point to Latin America’s vulnerability in the face of external forces. In spite of such foreign pressure, however, individual countries continue to chart their own courses, displaying considerable variation in political and economic life. 
Looking broadly across the Western Hemisphere, with examples from Brazil, the Southern Cone, the Andes, and Central America, Arceneaux and Pion-Berlin identify general rules that explain how international and domestic politics interact in specific contexts. The detailed, accessible case studies cast new light on such central problems as neoliberal economic reform, democratization, human rights, regional security, environmental degradation, drug trafficking, and immigration. And they consider not only what actors, institutions, and ideas matter in particular political contexts, but when, where, and how they matter. By dividing issues into the domains of "high" and "low" politics, and differentiating between short-term problems and more permanent concerns, they create an innovative typology for analyzing a wide variety of political events and trends.

Transforming Latin America: The International And Domestic Origins Of Change (Pitt Latin American Series)

Arceneaux, Craig

David Pion-Berlin

Legal Theory & Systems

University of Pittsburgh Press

Soldiers, Politicians, and Civilians

Are 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 dimensions, this study has shed light on what it takes to transform what was once a politically-minded military into an organization dedicated to serving a democratic state and society.

Soldiers, Politicians, and Civilians: Reforming Civil-Military Relations in Democratic Latin America

Martínez, Rafael

Cambridge University Press

Military Missions in Democratic Latin America (Politics, Economics, and Inclusive Development)

This book demonstrates through country case studies that, contrary to received wisdom, Latin American militaries can contribute productively, but under select conditions, to non-traditional missions of internal security, disaster relief, and social programs. Latin American soldiers are rarely at war, but have been called upon to perform these missions in both lethal and non-lethal ways. Is this beneficial to their societies or should the armed forces be left in the barracks? As inherently conservative institutions, they are at their best, the author demonstrates, when tasked with missions that draw on pre-existing organizational strengths that can be utilized in appropriate and humane ways. They are at a disadvantage when forced to reinvent themselves. Ultimately, it is governments that must choose whether or not to deploy soldiers, and they should do so, based on a pragmatic assessment of the severity and urgency of the problem, the capacity of the military to effectively respond, and the availability of alternative solutions.

Business & Money

Economics

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

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