The US Military Profession into the 21st Century

Sarkesian, Sam C.; Connor, Robert

doi:10.4324/9780203004722

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…As Feaver and Kohn implied, declining tolerance for sacrifice negatively affects military–civilian relations. Disputes then prompt the military to raise its voice in the political arena (as recommended by Sarkesian and Connor 2006), or at least to pursue other options to enhance its professional autonomy vis‐à‐vis the politicians, as the IDF did with the installation of counterfire methods. Simply put, by including casualty sensitivity as a factor, Desch’s matrix of threats is enhanced with additional variations on civilian‐military relations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Casualty Sensitivity Affects Civilian Control: The Israeli Experience

Levy

2011

International Studies Perspectives

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In an effort to enhance the dialog between the literature on casualty sensitivity and that on civilian control, this article offers an integrative analysis that shows how high levels of casualty sensitivity affect the balance of power between civilians and the military. By drawing on the case of Israel during the Second Lebanon War (2006) and the Gaza War (2009), the article demonstrates that casualty sensitivity has a double effect. Initially, it restrains military action because the military internalizes this casualty shyness and, in response, adopts policies of casualty aversion. Thus, casualty sensitivity empowers civilians (at least, dovish civilians) vis á vis the military. However, the military and political leaders' efforts to compensate for these restraints ultimately give the military even more latitude. These efforts involve military doctrines that allow rapid decision making, contingency plans that weaken civilian control, and the military's control over the cost-informed discourse. Casualty aversion thus affects civilian control.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Casualty Sensitivity Affects Civilian Control: The Israeli Experience

Levy

2011

International Studies Perspectives

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“…Military professionalism occurs when the military subordinates itself to civilian politics (Huntington, 1957). Under such circumstances, the military is apolitical, obedient, and trusted by national politicians (Kohn, 2009; Moskos et al, 2000; Sarkesian and Conor, 2006). However, military professionalism is a Western-centric concept.…”

Section: The Military and Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Military Post-Mugabe

Maringira

2021

Journal of Asian and African Studies

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This article argues that, through the coup, the military has become more visible in national politics in post-Mugabe Zimbabwe. The current situation under President Mnangagwa marks a qualitative difference with the military under Mugabe’s rule. Currently, in now being more prominent, the military is politics and is the determinant of any political transition that may be forthcoming in Zimbabwe. However, if it deems it necessary, the military accommodates civilian politicians into politics in order to ‘sanitize’ the political landscape in its own interests. Simultaneously, despite their involvement in the coup, ordinary soldiers feel increasingly marginalized under Mnangagwa’s government.

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“…The active involvement of the military in politics is neither unique to Africa nor a new phenomenon in Zimbabwe. Early scholars such as Huntington (1957) argue that if military professionalism is to be achieved, the military has to subordinate itself to civilian politics, a practice that he calls “objective civilian control.” Features of military professionalism include integrity, competence, obedience, honor, and trustworthiness (Kohn 2009; Sarkesian & Conor 2006; Moskos et al 2000). However, military professionalism is a broad concept, often difficult to define both in theory and practice.…”

Section: Politicized Armies: Africa and Beyondmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, military professionalism is a broad concept, often difficult to define both in theory and practice. For Sarkesian and Conor (2006), military professionalism is characterized by at least two tiers: on the one hand, the relationship between the military and national leadership, and on the other, practices within the military itself. This article examines both tiers, especially the ways in which the former affects the latter.…”

Section: Politicized Armies: Africa and Beyondmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politics, Privileges, and Loyalty in the Zimbabwe National Army

Maringira¹

2017

Afr. stud. rev.

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Abstract:In postcolonial Africa, the military has become an actor in politics, often in ways that can be described as unprofessional. This paper focuses on the manner in which the Zimbabwean National Army (ZNA) has become heavily politicized since independence, directly supporting the regime of President Robert Mugabe while denigrating the opposition political party. The military metamorphosed, to all intents, into an extension of President Mugabe’s political party, the ZANU-PF. I argue that even though the military is expected to subordinate itself to a civilian government, the ZNA is highly unprofessional, in- and outside the army barracks. The ways in which politics came to be mediated by army generals, as “war veterans” serving in the military, directly influenced not only how soldiers who joined the army in postindependence Zimbabwe were promoted and demoted, but how they lived their lives as soldiers in the army barracks. This article is based on fifty-eight life histories of army deserters living in exile in South Africa.

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The US Military Profession into the 21st Century

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

How Casualty Sensitivity Affects Civilian Control: The Israeli Experience

How Casualty Sensitivity Affects Civilian Control: The Israeli Experience

The Military Post-Mugabe

Politics, Privileges, and Loyalty in the Zimbabwe National Army

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