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Tensions have worsened since the end of the 1990s between elected civilian governments and the armed forces in many Latin American countries. The causes of these rising tensions are economic and political in nature.
The economic dimension of civil-military tensions is simple. Latin America's militaries have not escaped the impact of the region's weak economic performance since the mid-1990s. If anything, the militaries in many countries have suffered greater drops in their living standards than civilians in recent years. As the region's economies slumped, civilian rulers also slashed defense budgets in most countries -- with the exception of Colombia, where military and security expenditures have risen sharply with U.S. support.
Officers and career noncommissioned personnel are pressing for substantial raises and bigger defense budgets to finance force-modernization acquisitions. Governments have been reluctant to give in to such demands because they need to use their scarce resources for nonmilitary needs, and -- in many countries -- military establishments with histories of dictatorial regimes and human rights abuses are unpopular with voters.
The political aspects of civil-military tensions are complex and difficult to dissect. In Argentina and Peru, for example, the military has been enraged by the efforts of presidents Nestor Kirchner and Alejandro Toledo to reopen the prosecutorial books on past abuses committed by the military under authoritarian governments. Tensions in civil-military relations in other countries such as Ecuador and Venezuela have been fueled by the growing presence of military officers in civilian government jobs, and by the demonstrated willingness of some military units to repress public protests by political opponents of Ecuadorian President Lucio Gutierrez and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Although civil-military tensions in many countries are greater today than at any time in the past decade, there is no imminent threat that growing military unhappiness with elected civilian governments will lead to coup attempts. Over the longer term, it is possible that political leaders will fail to raise living standards and boost economic development, and incentives and opportunities could be created in some countries for the military to take a more direct and active role in government.
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