A conceptual framework for the analysis of civil-military relations and intelligence

Abstract

The article argues that current conceptual approaches in civil-military relations are deeply flawed resulting in its irrelevance in analyzing major issues including war and the collapse of democracy. After highlighting major flaws in the work of the late Samuel Huntington and those who follow his approach, the article argues that other conceptual approaches, including Security Sector Reform, are also flawed, or in the case of the "military effectiveness" literature, largely irrelevant. In explaining the main causes of the flawed conceptual literature, the article highlights the absence of good data and challenges in methodology. While arguing that military forces are very unlikely to engage in armed combat, it highlights the roles and missions which in the world today are implanted by these forces. As it is virtually impossible to prove effectiveness of the armed forces in these roles and missions, the article proposes a conceptual approach based on requirements.

Intelligence Reform Model as A Bridge to The Inflexibility of Bureaucracy Reforms Implementation in The State Intelligence Agency

“…This concept has drawn criticism from several researchers in the defense and security sector, including Thomas C. Bruneau, who said that the civil-military relations approach formulated by Huntington was a serious mistake. There are at least three weaknesses, first is the argument and the tautological logic; second is the use of selective data, and third is that this approach has resulted in tensions between the two parties (Bruneau, 2018).…”

Erosion of Civilian Control in Democracies: A Comprehensive Framework for Comparative Analysis

“…The comprehensive framework is especially relevant in light of the growing literature on democratic backsliding. The scholars of democratic decline acknowledge that the weakening of democracies takes place as an incremental deterioration of various aspects of democratic governance (Bermeo, 2016; Diamond, 2008; Levitsky & Ziblatt, 2018; Waldner & Lust, 2018) of which civil-military relations is an essential but often overlooked part (Bruneau, 2018; Brooks, 2019; Pion-Berlin & Martinez, 2017). Capturing the gradual weakening of democratic governance requires new sensitive measurements that scholars can systematically apply across cases with different levels of democracy (Waldner & Lust, 2018).…”