Title: Civilian Control over the Military in East Asia
Abstract: In recent decades, several nations in East Asia have transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy. The emerging democracies in the region, however, do not converge on a single pattern of civil-military relations as the analysis of failed institutionalization of civilian control in Thailand, the prolonged crisis of civil?military relations in the Philippines, the conditional subordination of the military under civilian authority in Indonesia and the emergence of civilian supremacy in South Korea in this article demonstrates. The article argues that both structural and agential factors loom high in the evolution of post-transitional civil military relations. However, structural contexts cannot completely explain if a new democracy will establish civilian control over the armed forces. Rather, the ‘political entrepreneurship’ of civilian decision-makers plays an important role to account for the diverging patterns of civil-military relations. In Korea and Indonesia it was strategic action, prioritization, timing and careful sequencing by civilians, who took advantage of upcoming opportunities, and utilized them for restructuring civilmilitary relations, which has enabled civilians in Korea and Indonesia to overcome past legacies of military intervention into politics. In Thailand, on the other hand, civilians overestimated their ability to steer the military through robust action, thereby, provoking the military’s intervention. In the Philippines, consecutive civilian governments forged their “symbiotic relationship” with military elites, which allows civilian rule to survive. At the same time, however, military officers demand material rewards, political influence on the government, and expanded decision-making powers as quid pro quo, while protecting its institutional well being. In all four cases, the evaluation of civil-military relations has far-reaching consequences for the prospects of national security, political stability and democratic consolidation.
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 5
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot