U.S. IMPACT ON DEMOCRATIC CIVILIAN CONTROL IN LATIN AMERICA

Abstract

The goal of this study is to determine the impact of United States foreign policy on democratic civilian control in Latin America. Following the third wave of democratization in the late 20th century, the authoritarian regimes that had power over the majority of South America were demolished. The United States claims to promote democracy in the Western Hemisphere and one aspect of this is democratic civilian control. This is especially important in Latin America, as there is a history of military coups and human rights violations that do not fit into a balanced civil‐ military relationship. This thesis has five main sections. The first reviews the theory of civil­‐military relations overall as well as in Latin America. I then report the metrics of democratic civilian control. The third section analyzes the impact of the United States on democratic civilian control using foreign aid, military education, and the role of the OAS as measurements. The fourth section is a case study on Brazilian civil­‐military relations and the fifth is a case study on Argentine civil­‐military relations. Finally, the fifth section states results and conclusions. The study determines that the United States has not adequately supported democratic civilian control in Latin America. In order for the U.S. to promote democracy and a balanced civil­‐military relationship, the government needs to shift their foreign policy in a way that supports the democratic nature of Argentina and Brazil and pushes these countries further away from military rule.