The Man on Horseback: The Role of the Military in Politics

The role of the military in a society raises a number of issues: How much separation should there be between a civil government and its army? Should the military be totally subordinate to the polity? Or should the armed forces be allowed autonomy in order to provide national security? In our times, the dangers of military dictatorships have become clear, but developing countries often lack the administrative ability and societal unity to keep the state functioning in an orderly and economically feasible manner without pronounced militaristic intervention.