Civil-military relations in two “third wave” democracies: The first and a follower

Abstract

This chapter utilizes the framework described in the Introduction, which includes both democratic civilian control and military effectiveness, to compare and contrast the experiences of two “Third Wave” democracies: Portugal, which initiated the third wave on 25 April 1974, and Brazil, where the democratic transition began in 1985 with a civilian president coming into office following 21 years of military governments. The chapter argues that democratic civilian control has been achieved in both countries, but only in Portugal has military effectiveness also been sought. The chapter seeks to explain the differences in the two countries’ experiences based on the incentives of the civilian decision makers as defined in the very different strategic cultures of the two countries. The data utilized in this chapter comes from published books and articles, official documents, on-line resources, and personal interviews by the author.