After a long era of military rule, the South American nations have been working on the construction of a new democratic order. This book provides a long-term historical assessment of the main features of civil-military relations in this region, from independence in the early nineteenth century to the current process of democratic consolidation, with special attention to the cases of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru.

Recent years have given rise to an intense debate about the boundaries and appropriate missions of Latin America's armed forces. This report examines the efforts of civilian leaders in Latin America to identify missions for their militaries appropriate to both the security environment of the post-Cold War era and to civil-military relations in a democracy, and to provide ways militaries will effectively adopt these missions. It also analyses the implications for democracy and civilian control of specific roles for the armed forces that are either under consideration or already underway in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.

This thesis seeks to answer the question: how healthy, relatively speaking, are civil-military relations in South America? To answer this, key variables from three of the touchstone works in civil-military literature, namely, Samuel Huntington's "The Soldier and the State," Morris Janowitz's "The Professional Soldier: A Social and Political Portrait," and Samuel Finer's "The Man On Horseback." and journal articles were gleaned. A total of twenty-two variables were identified and divided into three categories: State Comparative, Civilian and Military variables that are connected to "healthy" civil-military relations in the literature. These variables were then applied to all twelve South American states. The results were then compared to the United States, which the literature suggests is the closest to having "ideal" civil-military relations. To ensure that the paper comparison matches practice, this thesis reviewed Colombia in-depth. Its military is not only the second largest in the region, but also one that plays a vital role in society. The overall results from this comparative assessment indicate that there is a bimodal distribution among South American states in terms of the variables indicating healthy civil-military relations. Although it is clear that all States still need major improvements, half have healthier civil-military relations than the other half.

In this accessible volume, John R. Bawden introduces readers to the study of armed forces in Latin American history through vivid narratives about four very different countries: Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, and Chile. Latin America has faced many of the challenges common to postcolonial states such as civil war, poorly defined borders, and politically fractured societies. Studying its militaries offers a powerful lens through which to understand major events, eras, and problems. Bawden draws on stories about the men and women who served in conventional armed forces and guerrilla armies to examine the politics and social structure of each country, the state’s evolution, and relationships between soldiers and the global community. Designed as an introductory text for undergraduates, Latin American Soldiers identifies major concepts, factors, and trends that have shaped modern Latin America. It is an essential text for students of Latin American Studies or History and is particularly useful for students focusing on the military, revolutions, and political history.

Looking at how armies supportive of democracy are built, this title argues that the military is the important institution that states maintain, for without military elites who support democratic governance, democracy cannot be consolidated. It demonstrates that building democratic armies is the quintessential task of democratizing regimes.

In many contemporary nations, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the armed forces play a major role in governing. Historical, economic, and sociological factors have contributed to the political prominence of the military in developing countries. Nevertheless, in the 1980s several states in Latin America restored civilian rule followi