The New Junta #
July 18th, 2010 | In Worth Knowing
Troubling article in last week’s Ideas section about how globalization has changed the way militaries take over and assert power against civilian governments.
Militaries today find it is easier to function as kingmakers rather than kings, while still maintaining the fiction that the armed forces are neutral in politics. The armed forces walk this fine line by using their influence, in the background, to keep governments in power or topple them. At other times, the military uses its expertise in handling dangerous security threats like drug trafficking or terrorism to build up its power again.