The Soldier and the Changing State: Building Democratic Armies in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780691137681)

The Soldier and the Changing State is the first book to systematically explore, on a global scale, civil-military relations in democratizing and changing states. Looking at how armies supportive of democracy are built, Zoltan Barany argues that the military is the most important institution that states maintain, for without military elites who support democratic governance, democracy cannot be consolidated. Barany also demonstrates that building democratic armies is the quintessential task of newly democratizing regimes. But how do democratic armies come about? What conditions encourage or impede democratic civil-military relations? And how can the state ensure the allegiance of its soldiers?

Barany examines the experiences of developing countries and the armed forces in the context of major political change in six specific settings: in the wake of war and civil war, after military and communist regimes, and following colonialism and unification/apartheid. He evaluates the army-building and democratization experiences of twenty-seven countries and explains which predemocratic settings are most conducive to creating a military that will support democracy. Highlighting important factors and suggesting which reforms can be expected to work and fail in different environments, he offers practical policy recommendations to state-builders and democratizers.

Author: Zoltan Barany
ISBN-10: 0691137684
ISBN-13: 9780691137681
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Language: English
Published: 09/16/2012
Pages: 472
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.80lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.40d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 05/01/2013