Full Description
Military conflicts and dictatorships in Latin America are the main consequences of the increasingly autonomous role of the armed forces in the region, asserts noted scholar Augusto Varas, and international factors related to the expansion of weapon industries in the North and the increasing flow of financial resources to Latin America are accelerating the arms race. Varas discusses the historical function of the armed forces in local politics, the new ideology of the "national security doctrine," and the process of conflict perception by the Latin American military. He also analyzes the inevitable relations between the arms race and the political role of the region's armed institutions. Using Chile as an example, he places these factors in context and illustrates how political crisis can escalate into a regional arms race. He then concludes with a discussion of the links between prospects for democracy in the region and demilitarization and disarmament.
Contents
Introduction 1 The Role of the Armed Forces in Latin American Societies 2 A Corporatist Ideology for the Latin American 3 The Militarization of Latin America 4 The Arms Race in Latin America 5 The Transfer of Military Technology from Developed Countries 6 Perceptions of Security and Conflict and the Arms Race.7 Military Conflicts and Regional Peace Agreements 8 The Armed Forces and the Military Regime in Chile .9 Demilitarization, Disarmament, and Democracy
