The Soldier and the Changing State - by Zoltan Barany (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Soldier and the Changing State is the first book to systematically explore, on a global scale, civil-military relations in democratizing and changing states. Looking at how armies supportive of democracy are built, Zoltan Barany argues that the military is the most important institution that states maintain, for without military elites who support democratic governance, democracy cannot be consolidated. Barany also demonstrates that building democratic armies is the quintessential task of newly democratizing regimes. But how do democratic armies come about? What conditions encourage or impede democratic civil-military relations? And how can the state ensure the allegiance of its soldiers?

Barany examines the experiences of developing countries and the armed forces in the context of major political change in six specific settings: in the wake of war and civil war, after military and communist regimes, and following colonialism and unification/apartheid. He evaluates the army-building and democratization experiences of twenty-seven countries and explains which predemocratic settings are most conducive to creating a military that will support democracy. Highlighting important factors and suggesting which reforms can be expected to work and fail in different environments, he offers practical policy recommendations to state-builders and democratizers.

From the Back Cover

"The Soldier and the Changing State is the single most ambitious and complete analysis on civil-military relations in democratizing states. Barany examines a variety of country case studies, ranging from transition experiences after dictatorships and communist regimes to postwar and postcolonial nations. This is an extremely important contribution to the understanding of the relationship between the role of the military and the government in diverse transition situations."--Narcís Serra, chairman of the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals and former Spanish Minister of Defense

"We know that the fate of political regimes ultimately rests with people who bear arms. But why would the military be willing to respect civilian rule? Barany shows that removing politics from the military presents a problem different from extracting the military from politics. The analysis is incisive and subtle, attentive to historical details, and the wealth of historical material has no equal. This is a book for which I have been waiting a long time."--Adam Przeworski, New York University

"A remarkable book--theoretically circumspect and empirically ambitious, and a very important contribution to the field. Barany applies insights from existing theory to an exceptionally diverse range of post-World War II cases. This will be the new standard reference for anyone interested in how military institutions can be coaxed to fit under democratic rule."--Peter Feaver, Duke University

"Destined to become the standard book on civil-military relations and a key work in democratization studies, The Soldier and the Changing State shows what makes democracy work. Barany takes a bold stance by saying that without solving the civil-military problem in new democracies, it is virtually impossible to solve any other issues. This is the most important book written on this subject in forty years."--Thomas Nichols, United States Naval War College

Review Quotes

"The Soldier and the Changing State is an extraordinary book in both senses of that word, simultaneously remarkable and rare. . . . The Soldier and the Changing State will probably be most widely read among specialists of civil-military relations, who will learn a great deal from the case studies in particular. But it should also find a considerable audience among democratization scholars. The book neither offers up a new theory of regime change nor tests existing theories, but there is no better general historical treatment of the ways in which civil-military relations influence the transition process in countries around the world."---Brian D. Taylor, Comparative Politics

"The Soldier and the Changing State is very useful reading for democracy scholars and practitioners. It lives up to its title, and it may even displace Huntington's classic as the first stop for those seeking to understand democratic civil-military relations today."---Harold A. Trinkunas, Journal of Democracy

"The Soldier and the Changing State will probably be most widely read among specialists of civil-military relations, who will learn a great deal from the case studies in particular. But it should also find a considerable audience among democratization scholars. The book neither offers up a new theory of regime change nor tests existing theories, but there is no better general historical treatment of the ways in which civil-military relations influence the transition process in countries around the world."---Brian D. Taylor, Perspectives on Politics

"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013"

"This is an important work on militaries in newly democratizing regimes. The scope of the work is impressive. . . . The topic of democratization of militaries is . . . very important, and the remarkable breadth of the work will make it an essential handbook."-- "Choice"

"Too often are military institutions and the threat they pose to democratic consolidation ignored. The Soldier and the Changing State provides a necessary corrective to this oversight by directly tackling the many challenges of building democratic militaries. Barany's work should thus inspire a new research agenda within the democratization field."---Kristen A. Harkness, Political Science Quarterly

About the Author

Zoltan Barany is the Frank C. Erwin, Jr., Centennial Professor of Government at the University of Texas and the author of Democratic Breakdown and the Decline of the Russian Military (Princeton).