The Military in Chilean History. Essays on Civil-Military Relations, 1810–1973. By Frederick M. Nunn. (Albuquerque: The University of New Mexico Press, 1976. Pp. xiv, 343. Bibliographical Notes. Figures. Index. $15.00.)

The importance of civil military relations assumes seminal importance in ensuring the success of all phases of a counter insurgency campaign. In the true tradition of the Clausewitzian dictum that war is the continuation of policy and vice versa; Pakistan Army has been employed as a matter of policy in counter insurgency operations in the erstwhile tribal areas. They have also been used in the stabilization operations to bring about normality in the insurgency ridden areas. In fact the employment of Pakistan Army in the stabilization process defies any previous example in any other country. In all phases of the conflict cycle, the military has worked hand in glove with its civilian counterparts. The civil-military coordination (CIMIC) in the insurgency ridden areas has taken place within the framework of the established ground rules of an organized counter insurgency campaign. It would not be unfair to say that the return to normality in the erstwhile FATA has only been possible because of a well-knit CIMIC architecture. This paper briefly explicates the salient points of the CIMIC aspect of the counter and post-insurgency part of the operations in the conflict zones and highlights the importance of this aspect of dealing with insurgencies.

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Introduction to the Armed Forces & Society Forum on Military Reserves in the “New Wars”

Armed Forces & Society ◽

10.1177/0095327x21996220 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0095327X2199622

Author(s):

Sergio Catignani ◽

Nir Gazit ◽

Eyal Ben-Ari

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Models ◽

Armed Forces ◽

Civil Military Relations ◽

New Wars ◽

Recent Trends ◽

Military Relations ◽

The Military ◽

Critical Perspectives

This Armed Forces & Society forum is dedicated to exploring recent trends in the characteristics of military reserves and of the changing character of reserve forces within the armed forces within the military, the civilian sphere, and in between them. To bring new and critical perspectives to the study of reserve forces and civil–military relations, this introduction and the five articles that follow draw on two organizing conceptual models: The first portrays reservists as transmigrants and focuses on the plural membership of reservists in the military and in civilian society and the “travel” between them. The second model focuses on the multiple formal and informal compacts (contracts, agreements, or pacts) between reservists and the military.

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Role Model or Role Expansion? Popular Perceptions of the Military in Tunisia

Political Research Quarterly ◽

10.1177/10659129211001451 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 106591292110014

Author(s):

Holger Albrecht ◽

Michael Bufano ◽

Kevin Koehler

Keyword(s):

Role Model ◽

Public Support ◽

Democratic Consolidation ◽

Transition To Democracy ◽

Emerging Democracies ◽

Civil Military Relations ◽

Role Expansion ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Military Relations ◽

The Military

This article introduces a theory on military role expansion in emerging democracies and poses a broad question: who wants the military to adopt which role in society and politics? Drawing on an original, nationally representative survey conducted in Tunisia, the article explores people’s preferences for the military to remain a security provider or serve in government and contribute to policing protests. Findings reveal that public support for military role expansion is substantial and varies across political cleavages. We test hypotheses to account for cleavages driven by the country’s authoritarian past versus partisan divides during Tunisia’s transition to democracy. Findings indicate that popular support for military role expansion is driven by anti-system sentiments prevalent in contemporary Tunisian politics: while voters prefer the military as a role model for security provision, non-voters support its enhanced role in politics. These observations have ample implications for the research programs on civil–military relations and the dynamics of democratic consolidation. Tunisia’s experience warrants greater attention to anti-system attitudes caused by people’s disillusionment with democratic procedures. In turn, authoritarian legacies do not appear to play a prominent role during such challenging transitions toward democratic consolidation.

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Joaquín Ortega: Pan-Americanism at the University of New Mexico by Russ Davidson

Southwestern Historical Quarterly ◽

10.1353/swh.2021.0068 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 125 (1) ◽

pp. 114-116

Author(s):

Cynthia E. Orozco

Keyword(s):

New Mexico ◽

University Of New Mexico ◽

The University ◽

Pan Americanism

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Erosion of Civilian Control in Democracies: A Comprehensive Framework for Comparative Analysis

Comparative Political Studies ◽

10.1177/0010414021989757 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 001041402198975

Author(s):

Polina Beliakova

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Civilian Control ◽

Intrastate Conflict ◽

Civil Military Relations ◽

Large N ◽

Military Relations ◽

Comprehensive Framework ◽

The Military ◽

New Framework

Civilian control of the military is a fundamental attribute of democracy. While democracies are less coup-prone, studies treating civilian control as a dependent variable mostly focus on coups. In this paper, I argue that the factors predicting coups in autocracies, weaken civilian control of the military in democracies in different ways. To capture this difference, I advance a new comprehensive framework that includes the erosion of civilian control by competition, insubordination, and deference. I test the argument under conditions of an intrastate conflict—a conducive environment for the erosion of civilian control. A large-N analysis confirms that while intrastate conflict does not lead to coups in democracies, it increases the military’s involvement in government, pointing to alternative forms of erosion taking place. Further case study—Russia’s First Chechen War—demonstrates the causal logic behind the new framework, contributing to the nuanced comparative analysis of civil-military relations across regimes.

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