Military engagement influencing armed forces worldwide to support democratic transitions ; a project of the Council for a Community of Democracies 1 Overview and action plan

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 crossnetworking 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 achiev "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. In Military Engagement, Blair describes 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." -- From publisher's website "Under the leadership of Admiral Dennis Blair, and with a team of five regional co-authors, the Council for a Community of Democracies (CCD) is developing a handbook on the role of the armed forces in democratic transition that will serve as a knowledge base for military and defense officials. This project was conceived by Ambassador Mark Palmer, former Ambassador of the United States to Hungary and Vice President of the CCD Board of Directors. This handbook, entitled Military Engagement: Influencing Armed Forces Worldwide to Support Democratic Transitions, is a guide for governments to make democratic development a policy objective of military relations as well as a set of practical suggestions for embassies of democratic countries involved in the supervision and conduct of military-military relations."--Publisher description Front Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Information......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 8 Foreword......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Introduction: Influencing Dictatorships to Become Democracies......Page 14 What the Armed Forces Look Like in a Democracy......Page 28 Regional Transitions to Democracy......Page 42 Developing Democracy: The Crucial Role of the Armed Forces......Page 56 Outside Influences on Democratic Development......Page 68 Military-Military Relations during Violent Insurrections and Campaigns of Civil Resistance......Page 96 Hard Cases......Page 108 The Challenge Ahead......Page 124 Appendix A......Page 130 Appendix B......Page 132 Appendix C......Page 136 Appendix D......Page 138 Notes......Page 140 Further Reading......Page 144 Index......Page 148 Back Cover......Page 158 Volume 1. Overview And Action Plan -- Dennis Blair. A Project Of The Council For A Community Of Democracies--t.p. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Volume 1. Overview and Action Plan Volume 2. Regional and Country Studies.