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Resumen
El siguiente artícule propone un nuevo enfoque hacia el estudio de las relaciones civiles-militares. Su propósito es proporcionarle a los civiles en el poder legislative y ejecutivo conceptos e información que les ayude a cumplir con sus responsabilidades Io mejor posible como funcionarios democráticamente electos. Argumenta que estos civiles no necesitan saber tanto en el tema como los oficiales militares, quienes saben mucho sobre "una cosa importante". Basado en la literatura académica y una amplia experiencia en Latinoamérica y otras partes del mundo, el articulo sugiere que las relaciones civiles-militares se pueden conceptualizar mejor como un terna de control civil, cumplimiento efectivo de los papeles y misiones, y eficienciapara lograr los objetivos al menor costo posible. Esta terna se puede lograr solamente por medio de la creacion de instituciones que incorporas y personifican conocimientos y mecanismos de control tanto del) poder ejecutivo como legislative del estado democrático.
Palabras Clave: Relaciones civil-militares, fuerzas armadas, gobernabilidad y democracia.
Abstract
This article argues for a new focus in the study of civil-military relations. It seeks to provide civilian policymakers with ideas and information to help them best carry out their responsibilities as democratically elected leaders. Referring to knowledge of military matters as "one big thing," it argues that it is not necessary for policymakers to know as much about matters of defense as their military counterparts. Based on the academic literature and the author's experience in Latin America and other regions, this article suggests that civil-military relations are best understood in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and civilian control of the armed forces. These relations will only be effectively normalized when institutions incorporate and personalize understanding and mechanisms of control at both executive and legislative levels.
Keywords: Civil-military relations, Armed Forces, Governance and democracy.
INTRODUCTION
Since the beginning of 2005, a number of dramatic events have occurred in Latin America which should have called our attention to the perilous relationships between the democratically elected civilian governments and their armed forces. These events concern the power relationships between democratically elected civilian presidents and the armed forces. In a recent publication, David Pion-Berlin, one of the foremost scholars writing in the field of civil-military relations in Latin America, challenged the "current intellectual constructs" for conceptualizing this field of...