Conclusion

Abstract

Abstract The final chapter summarizes the findings and discusses their implications for the academic study and political practice of reforming civil–military relations in new democracies. First, the chapter concludes that the more central a decision-making area is for the working of democracy, the more negative is the impact of weak civilian control on the survival and quality of democracy. Second, the more central a decision-making area is for the military’s key interests, the more difficult it is to institutionalize civilian control. Third, changes in civil–military relations in new democracies are driven by civilians who need to act prudently, systematically making use of the strategic resources at their disposal to institutionalize civilian control. These findings have a number of implications for domestic and international reformers. Civilians should adopt a gradualist approach to civil–military reforms that favors coalition building, recognizes the legitimate interests of the military, and concentrates first on ensuring the military’s acceptance of democracy and keeping the military out of the political processes of elite selection and policymaking before attempting to expand their authority into the matters of defense and military policy. External democracy promoters should recognize the crucial importance of civil–military relations for democratic stability and quality and should support domestic civilians in their attempts at institutionalizing civilian control. They, in particular, should emphasize the benefits of a gradual approach towards the restructuring of civil–military relations, and offer training and resources to strengthen civil society and build up effective civilian expertise in defense ministries and parliamentary committees.