The Political Influence of the Latin American Military

Abstract

Latin America has been and maybe still is the continent of political soldiers and military politicians. In this essay I follow the military’s professional evolution, its involvement in society and politics, and the dual engagement in external and internal security. Since colonial times the Latin American armies were and are in charge of confronting external threats and internal enemies. The paradoxical duality of military professionalism and political ‘calling’ is a recurrent theme during the last 65 years. I make a distinction of political armies of the Right and the Left. In both cases a kind of ‘military mystique’ prevails, but its content is different. In both cases the military justify their involvement in politics as a ‘calling’ based on their vanguard role in politics and society. The two characteristics of dual tasks (internal and internal security) and dual pathways (military professionalism and political involvement) are a revolving theme in this paper. The substance of this contribution is divided in four sections (1) the basic characteristics; (2) political armies of the Right and the Left; (3) the military in democratic Latin America; and (4) new security agendas and ‘unconventional’ counterinsurgency. In the conclusions I reflect on these striking particularities of the Latin American military ethos.