The phrase civil-military relations refers to interactions between armed forces and civilians, especially the relations between military and political leadership. At its heart are such problems as defense and foreign policies that go awry due to tensions between the two sectors; difficulties in obtaining military compliance with government wishes; and, at the furthest extreme, militaries that directly rebel against civilian authorities, oust political leaders from power, and govern directly, often employing brutal force against those they seek to dominate.

Patterns of Civil-Military Relations

Organizationally, the military constitutes a state institution, like any other part of state bureaucracy. Yet militaries differ from other state institutions because of their function and histories. As the body charged with defending a country against attackers, military forces are necessarily well armed ...

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