Article contents
The Church and the Doctrine of National Security
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2018
Extract
In a book which has circulated rather widely in Latin America (Lieuwen, 1960), it was stated that, with the passage of time, Latin American military men would intervene less and less in politics. This was not an altogether mistaken belief, considering that in 1961 Paraguay was a “military island” in a sea of Latin American civilian governments. Today the situation has radically changed in many ways. On the one hand, more than half the population of Latin America lives under military regimes; on the other, military domination has a different cast: it is no longer a caudillo who takes over, but the armed forces, which have institutionalized their access to the government. Linked to the foregoing is the emergence of an authoritarian ideological platform—the military call it a doctrine of national security—which provides the armed forces with the necessary rationale for their political activities.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 21 , Issue 1: Special Issue: The Church and Politics in Latin America , February 1979 , pp. 69 - 88
- Copyright
- Copyright © University of Miami 1979
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