The Military: A Revolutionary Force

An examination of the history of Latin America reveals that in all but a few of the twenty countries, the activi ties of the armed forces have long influenced national policy. The military have frequently dominated politics either directly or by assuming an Olympian role as arbiter among the civilian contestants. In economic and foreign affairs, also, the voice of the military has been strong. Indeed, so active have the armed forces in Latin America been in nonmilitary activities that their military functions of defending against outside ag gression and of preserving internal order have, oftener than not, become of secondary importance. The Latin-American military, first, led a wave of revolutions which emphasized social and economic reforms. An overlapping wave of counter- revolutions, also led by the military, has drawn Latin-American governments away from such reforms. Cuba is the only Latin- American country in which the military still supports social reform. The role of the military in Latin-American politics is crucial in United States hemispheric policy because of the choice it forces upon the United States between security and social reform.