Rethinking Military Politics: Brazil and the Southern Cone / Edition 1

by Alfred C. Stepan

Overview

The last four years have seen a remarkable resurgence of democracy 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 and 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 these same intelligence systems to be a formidable threat. 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 dissension within the military and the continuing conflicts between the military and the civilian government.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691022741
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	03/21/1988
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

	Lists of Tables and Figures	vii
	Preface	ix
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
	Bibliography	147
	Index	161

Editorial Reviews

Alfred Stepan ... now presents what is likely to become a classic work of regime translation and the obstacles facing civilian rule in the Southern Cone. To do justice to the complexity and wealth of data and analysis presented in Rethinking Military Politicswould require more space than is available for this brief review.

Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs

"Alfred Stepan ... now presents what is likely to become a classic work of regime translation and the obstacles facing civilian rule in the Southern Cone. To do justice to the complexity and wealth of data and analysis presented in Rethinking Military Politicswould require more space than is available for this brief review."—Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs

From the Publisher