The fulcrum of democratic civilian control: Re-imagining the role of defence ministries

Introduction to the Research Handbook on Civil–Military Relations

“…Military behavior would be subject to laws, rules, and procedures embedded within an institutional setting that could either enhance its influence or diminish it. If there is one institution that represents the keystone holding up the arch of civilian control, it is the defense ministry (Edmonds, 1985;Bruneau and Tollefson, 2006;Pion-Berlin, 2009;Mukherjee and Pion-Berlin, 2022). As Bruneau and Goetze (2006, p. 71) say, the ministry of defense "has become widely viewed as the best solution to the classic paradox, 'Who guards the guardians?…”

The Influence of the Militarisation of Bureaucracies during Bolsonaro's Government on Public Opinion about the Brazilian Armed Forces

“…A democratic regime, as Amorim Neto and Acácio (2020) remind us, implies not only the full subordination of the military to the authority of the Constitution and governments but also that the military's political power is limited to its area of professional activity, the national defence, and to the extent that is granted by civilian authority (Croissant et al, 2010). When the military's power expands beyond this area, the ability of civilians to control it is reduced (Amorim Neto and Acácio, 2020; Mukherjee and Pion-Berlin, 2022).…”