Rethinking military politics : Brazil and the Southern cone / by Alfred Stepan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stepan, Alfred C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Armed Forces.

Political participation.

History.

Civil-military relations.

Brazil--Politics and government--1964-1985.

Brazil.

Politics and government.

Civil-military relations--Brazil--History--20th century.

Civil-military relations--Southern Cone of South America--History--20th century.

Brazil--Politics and government--1985-2002.

Southern Cone of South America--Politics and government.

Southern Cone of South America.

Brazil--Armed Forces--Political activity--History--20th century.

Southern Cone of South America--Armed Forces--Political activity--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

xviii, 167 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [1988]

Summary:

The last four years have seen a remarkable resurgence of democracy in countries in the Southern Cone of the Americas. Military regimes have been replaced in Argentina (1983), Uruguay (1985), and Brazil (1985). Despite great interest in these new democracies, the role of the military in the process of transition has been under-theorized and under-researched. Alfred Stepan, one of the best-known analysts of the military in politics, examines some of the reasons for this neglect. In "rethinking" military politics, he takes a new look at themes raised in his earlier work on the state, the breakdown of democracy, and the military. The reader of this book will gain a fresh understanding of new democracies and democratic movements throughout the world and their attempts to understand and control the military. An earlier version of this book has been a controversial best seller in Brazil.

To examine the Brazilian case, the author uses a variety of new archival material and interviews, with comparative data from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Spain. Brazilian military leaders had consolidated their hold on governmental power by strengthening the military-crafted intelligence services, but they eventually found in these same intelligence systems a formidable threat to their own power. Professor Stepan explains how redemocratization occurred as the military reached into the civil sector for allies in its struggle against the growing influence of the intelligence community. He also explores the dissension within the military between the "hard liners" and those who felt it impossible both to govern and to keep abreast of rapid advances in military strategy and technology. Finally, he discusses the conflicts between the military and the civilian government that continue even after redemocratization.

Contents:

Chapter 1. Military Politics in Three Polity Arenas: Civil Society, Political Society, and the State 3

Chapter 2. The Brazilian Intelligence System in Comparative Perspective 13

Chapter 3. Abertura: Intra-State Conflicts and the Courtship of Civil Society 30

Chapter 4. Military Discourse and Abertura 45

Chapter 5. The End of the Regime: Political Society and the Military 55

Chapter 6. The Military in Newly Democratic Regimes: The Dimension of Military Contestation 68

Chapter 7. The Military in Newly Democratic Regimes: The Dimension of Military Prerogatives 93

Chapter 8. Democratic Empowerment and the Military: The Tasks of Civil Society, Political Society, and the State 128.

Notes:

Includes index.

Bibliography: pages [147]-160.

ISBN:

0691077509

0691022747

OCLC:

16802096