Defense Reform in Latin America and U.S. Strategy.

Abstract

The October 1998 National Security Strategy states that our armed forces serve as a role model for emerging democracies around the world. We are attempting to shape the environment with the commitment of limited resources in order to strengthen new democracies. Shaping the environment in Latin America may prevent the U.S. from needing to respond in the future with a greater commitment of resources. Given the history of Latin American military involvement in politics, democracies cannot survive without military support. Reform of the defense establishments of these transition states is the primary way for the Department of Defense to encourage such support. This paper examines the effectiveness of this strategy within the U.S. Southern Command. It concludes that U.S. military engagement can contribute to democratically obedient armed forces in the region.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 07, 1998
Accession Number
ADA363937

Entities

People

  • John E Hall

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cold War
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • El Salvador
  • Governments
  • Military Education
  • Military Governments
  • Military Training
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Public Administration
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Southern Command
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Strategic Security Studies