Patterns of Civil-Military Relations in Democracies
Abstract
Civil-military relations is an area of study that garners intense scrutiny. Since Samuel Huntington and Morris Janowitz first introduced their theories on civil-military relations, many scholars have debated the issue. Over the years, many alternative theories have been explored. A study of civil-military relations has been conducted on almost every nation in the world, yet there still remains a shortfall in criteria that can be used to assist developing democracies in determining the evolution of their own civil-military relations. This monograph attempts to bridge that shortfall. Four criteria are identified that apply to civil-military relations in democracies. These criteria are as follows: the establishment of founding documents that dictate civilian control over the military, the professional development of military forces, the relationship of the civilian government and the military during times of war and peace, and the work-shirk attitude of the military. These criteria are applied to two case studies. The first case study is a historical examination of civil-military relations in the United States from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. This was a period of intense evolution for civil-military relations in the United States. The second case study is an examination of Israel from 1948 to the present. Israel stands in contrast to the United States in that it has had less time than the United States for its civil-military relations to evolve; it practices a different type of democracy, parliamentary democracy; its civil-military relations have evolved during a time of almost continuous conflict and warfare; and it shares a continent with Arab nations that constitute the majority, and that would prefer to have Israel erased from the map. Israel is a democratic nation in a typically nondemocratic region.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 21, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA499688
Entities
People
- Brandy M. Andrews
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College