The military ghost: why do South American countries still fear the military in politics? A tentative answer from the balance of power in the political transition.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the persistence of military influence in politics in South American countries. By studying the cases of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, the study focuses on the power distribution between the military and the civilian opposition during the political transition, building the hypothesis that this distribution strongly influences the quality of civil-military relations in these countries and thus the quality of democracy. The approach to examining the balance of forces during democratization considers an eclectic theoretical framework based on structural and institutional criteria.