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Military Engagement: Influencing Armed Forces to Support Democratic Transition: Volume 1 - Softcover
The response of an autocratic nation's armed forces is crucial to the outcome of democratization movements throughout the world. But how can military officers and defense officials in democratic nations persuade their counterparts in autocratic regimes to favor democratic transitions? Here, Admiral Dennis Blair confronts this hard-edged challenge with a primer on the factors that affect military behavior during democratic transitions. Military Engagement makes the strong case for why the armed forces of any country should favor democracy and why, contrary to conventional wisdom, many military leaders have supported democratic transitions in different regions of the world. Further, it explains why military support, active or tacit, is essential to the success of any demo cratic transition. Blair provides incisive commentary on civil-military relations and outlines the foundational elements of armed forces in a democratic country. He presents sound advice to defense officials and military leaders in established democracies that can be put into practice when interacting with colleagues in both autocratic regimes and those that have made the break with dictatorship. This succinct handbook analyzes democratic transitions in five major regions and surveys the internal power dynamics in countries such as Iran and North Korea, dictatorships that are hostile toward and fearful of democratic influences. Blair juxtaposes the roles, values, and objectives of military leaders in autocratic nations with those in democracies. In turn, Military Engagement highlights how cross networking with international military delegations can put external pressure on autocratic countries and persuade them that democracies are best not only for the country itself, but also for the armed forces. Volume one of this two-volume project provides the educational foundation necessary so that military officers from established democracies can raise their game in achieving effective dialogue on democratic development.
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Product Description:
"This handbook is about the role of armed forces in the support and spread of democracy," as Blair states in the Introduction. He provides a concise overview of the topic, including a set of recommendations for officers and defense officials. In eight brisk chapters, Blair shows how established democracies can - and why they should - take full advantage of their points of contact to move dictatorships toward democracy. He explores the potential for democratic armed forces to influence change both in dictatorships like Iran and North Korea and transitioning countries such as Egypt, Kazakhstan and Burma. Recent events in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya demonstrated that the way in which the military responds to calls for democratic change is crucial in shaping the outcome of potential transitions. What is less understood, however, is the potential role of outside influence in such situations - specifically, how military officers and defense officials in the United States and other democracies can use their relationships with military officers in transitioning countries to improve the prospects for democracy. Under the leadership of Admiral Dennis Blair, the Council for a Community of Democracies has developed a project to inform, guide, and strengthen democratic transitions. They describe how the democracies can prepare ahead of time and respond quickly and effectively in a time of crisis. This project establishes a knowledge base and set of recommendations for military officers and defense officials to support democratic movements.
About the Author:
Dennis Blair served as the U.S. director of national intelligence (the "DNI") from 2009-2010. A Rhodes Scholar, Blair spent a career in the U.S. Navy and retired in 2002 as the commander in chief, U.S. Pacific Command.
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- PublisherBrookings Institution
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 0815703627
- ISBN 13 9780815703624
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages100
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