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Begin New Search Topic Democratization Political Geography Uruguay

1. La participación en Operaciones de Paz de la ONU y el control civil de las fuerzas armadas: los casos de Argentina y Uruguays

Author:
Arturo C. Sotomayor
Publication Date:
08-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
Abstract:
This is a comparative study that explores the impact of participation in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations on civil-military relations in two democratizing and developing countries; namely, Argentina and Uruguay. I ask for example, why the incorporation of the Argentine military into UN peace operations increased linkages between diplomats and soldiers, while Uruguayan peacekeeping experiences enlarged the gap between politicians and the military? I develop a qualitative measurement to evaluate variations on the effects by focusing on the mode of transition to democracy, the bureaucratic politics of the defense policy-making, and the type of socialization in the field. My research argues that the military is not defined only by domestic variables. This leads to questions in general about the nature of the military as an institution. Not only the doctrine, technology and techniques of the military are influenced by international variables, but also its very raison d'être and place in domestic politics. This is an initial attempt to theorize and elucidate how the peacekeeping policies of transitional and democratizing regimes differ and vary in their effects from the peace contributions of developed and established democracies, such as Canada, Norway, and Sweden.
Topic:
Democratization, Peace Studies, and United Nations
Political Geography:
Canada, Norway, Argentina, South America, Uruguay, and Sweden

2. La participación uruguaya en las operaciones de paz de la ONU: los beneficios económicos y sus costos políticos

Author:
Arutro C. Sotomayor
Publication Date:
06-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
Abstract:
This essay explores the domestic implications of Uruguay's very active participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. The author argues that involvement of uniformed officers in UN missions has improved military salaries, enabled military procurement and provided extra incentives for military recruitment. However, Uruguay's participation in peace missions has been inconsequential for improving civil-military relations. According to the author, despite the initial advantages that civilian policymakers had to carve out military prerogatives, the absence of civilian expertise on peacekeeping matters has increased the military's policy leverage on defense policies. In this context, the military has institutional autonomy to define peacekeeping policies and rarely consults or informs their superior civilians. Therefore, the Uruguayan case provides a critical example of the potential perverse effects that international peacekeeping participation can have among UN troop-contributing and democratizing countries.
Topic:
Democratization, Peace Studies, and United Nations
Political Geography:
South America and Uruguay

3. Institutional Traditions and Democratic Consolidation in Uruguay

Author:
Jos Ruiz Valerio
Publication Date:
06-2005
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:
This paper analyzes the role played by institutional traditions in Uruguayan democracy by focusing attention on two main issues. First, I describe the context in which the current Uruguayan political parties arose and the relationships established among them. Second, although it is true that parties naturally express alternative visions about politics, I contend that the building of a democratic system requires a basic consensus on which to base a set of rules that govern and contain dissidence. I discuss these two themes beginning with the emergence of Uruguay as an independent state until the term of Julio María Sanguinetti's second presidency in 2000.
Topic:
Civil Society, Democratization, and Government
Political Geography:
South America and Uruguay