Civil-Military Relations And Argentine Democracy

Abstract

In the twentieth century, Argentina has been beset with the problem of praetorianism-a condition in which military officers play a principal or predominant role in the political system. For the last 30 years, civilian governments have followed various strategies for establishing civilian control, with uniformly disastrous results. Since 1983, the Alfonsfn government has instituted a new approach, a strategy of "doctrinal change" within the armed forces; the strategy aims at incorporating the norms of Western military professionalism and respect for democracy. Although the present government has done better than its predecessors, the final prognosis is still guarded.