Politics and Other Anomalies by Linda S Brooks Politicist
linda-brooks.com
Politics and Other Anomalies by Linda S Brooks Politicist
linda-brooks.com
Case Study: Chile's Autonomous Military the German Model
Excerpt from : Some Principles of Democratization, Vol. 1 LS BROOKS ⓒ2017
June 2023
Written by Linda S Brooks
Likewise, Edmund Mercado, in his thesis on “Military Institutionalism and liberal constitutionalism in Chile” states that the autonomy of the Chilean military, creating a “shadow government (1993:3),” directly contributed to the failure of the Chilean democracy. In this, he points out that it was under the leadership of the Imperial German officer Colonel Emil Kroner, appointed by the Chilean government in 1886 to head the “Chilean War Academy,”(1993:8) that this autonomy was emphasized. The establishment of the Chilean army followed the Im- perial German model: according to Mercado, the Kaiser and Chancel- lor under him were the head of the government with the German legislative body subject to their leadership. The military, however, stood apart, in which authority rested with the superior officers within the military complex tied only to the Kaiser, not the nation, to whom these officers pledged their allegiance. There existed no system of account- ability between civilian authority and the military except through this capricious arrangement with the Kaiser that seemed more a tradition than mandated by law. In fact, Mercado states that in the First World War the German military usurped the leadership of the Kaiser.
In the case of Chile’s peaceful overthrow in 1970, just as Hitler had done, Allende’s succession to power was predicated on the military’s ap- proval, before he actually secured a transition to a Marxist government; either that or he had to have control over the military. Though Allende did not have control over the military, it did concede until 1973 at which time the Chilean economy had bankrupted and social chaos had become intolerable: an historic event portrayed in the 1982 movie “Missing” starring Jack Lemmon. According to Mercado “Once the Chilean government appointed Colonel Korner to train the Chilean officer corps in 1886, Chile became the leading exponent of the expan- sion of military autonomy in Latin America”(Mercado, 1993:89-90). The Chilean coup d ‘etat came together with revolts in three additional contiguous states, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, in which more than 12,000 people were listed as “disappeared” but presumed killed as the militaries attempted to eliminate every known communist. Mercado concludes that the Chilean military assumed the posture of the European Praetorianist (interventionary military) who saw no conflict with that and constitutionalism in which “Loyalty to the government becomes conditional, and leads to the incremental breakdown of the civilian ethic . . .”(1993:95).
The U.S. involvement in the Middle East since the 9/11 attacks has taken an interesting twist that raises the same concern of an autonomous military. The U.S. is now acquiring the services of mercenary armies, most of which are from Africa, which presently represents a $100 billion industry worldwide, “according to the United Nations” (“Private Soldiers: Bullets for Hire.” The Economist. Nov. 17, 2012). The catalyst to the rapid growth of the soldiers of fortune industry is the 9/11 Attack and, according to Jeremy Scahill, “The Base Realignment and Closure Act process that had begun during the Reagan/Bush era, ostensibly as a money-saving venture, had accelerated under Bill Clinton and had left the military with what many in the special forces community saw as an inadequate number of training venues” (2007:29). Blackwater, a U.S. protection firm formerly used exclusively to protect politicals in the U.S., was subsequently hired by the U.S. as mercenaries in the U.S.-Middle East theater of conflict where 20,000 “private guards” (“Private Soldiers: Bullets for Hire.”) are, as of 2012, serving U.S. interests in Iraq and Afghanistan. Almost immediately, the issue of excessive violence found its way before a Congressional Oversight Committee confirming the historical complaint regarding the use of contracted soldiers of fortune, coming from all parts of the world, as opposed to a country’s own military is that they do not identify with the values of the American people nor their interests. Additionally, there exists a glaring danger regarding a reaction from Middle East states to foreign or indigenous cross-sect intrusion, which could pose a threat of a holy jihad by Muslims everywhere in the world. Moreover, considering legitimacy and the War Powers Act, and regardless of whether one is speaking of the country’s military or a hired army, is the will of the people compromised in this.
Conclusion
While he was looking in . . . [a Jew who had been ] shot in the head he [Himmler] got a splash of brains on his coat, and I think it also splashed into his face . . . Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team / Himmler in Minsk www.HolocaustResearchProject.org.
Without question, a very clear indictment is established against Germany of pre-meditated mass murder that legitimizes the position wherein history can unequivocally state that the Holocaust was not a happenstance occurrence of war nor of economic pressures, espe- cially considering that the Jewish population in Germany did not ex- ceed one percent (1%) of a total population, but was a deliberate and intentional act intended to eliminate an entire race of people based on ethnic hatred and political intrigue. The Nazi party knew exactly what they wanted to do and how to do it even before assuming power over Germany with the Armenian genocide serving as the pattern for mass murder undergirded by modernity and the recognition of state sovereignty. This pattern makes of the Nazi Ideology a truly scien- tific political scheme with its origins emanating from the former Prussian militarism under the Keiser, German academia of which, according to Hew Strachen, “over 4,000 German academics signed a manifesto identifying German culture with Prussian militarism [October 16, 1914]” (2004:61) and the political elites in the Reichstag and the bureaucracy with the result that historians have made the German military the primary criminal responsible for the Holocaust, first and foremost identifying Adolf Hitler as political leader of State and more specifically Heinrich Himmler as head of the Police State, followed by the German elites political and otherwise and the Ger- man bureaucracy.
Therefore, the answer to the query is affirmative: An au- tonomous military polarizes a nation politically and socially and exer- cises a much greater degree of violence; moreover, will result in the final destruction of the democratic base. Historically, when the military becomes the governing body, carrying out a coup d’ etat, for long range success their rule is temporary because it cannot continue to be held by force; therefore a transition will occur where they approve a subse- quent political regime, feigning approval of the people, that will sup- plant that of the military often with the same people; but the military is the determinant in the whole matter. Regarding the current Middle East issue of democratization, some politicists state that the Islamic re- ligion and democracy are incompatible; however, this paper takes the position that it is autonomous militant Islam enhanced by access to oil dollars fueling Middle East imperialism that is incompatible with dem- ocratic order and it is they who must be eliminated with each state es- tablishing their own militias with civilian oversight and severing access to oil dollars that will go a long way in establishing democratic order in the Middle East.
NOTES:
1. here's something to think about: about 1 1/2 weeks ago a two separate reports were given on the news: first, the strength of the Ukraine military was spent and didn't feel they could fight any longer--NATO, US, and Poland invaded immediately, at least for a moment. Zelensky left the country to meet with the Head of State in India. these points suggest that the Ukraine had surrendered presumably to Russia; second, there was no water in Ukraine. Well, obviously there was water at the Kherson dam reservoir, but it's now gone and shortage of drinking water is expected. This is a Russia win for the 2nd if not the 3rd time to end war interfered with by the West. Russia missile Poland who retreated; NATO HAS NO LEGITSMENT RIGHT BECAUSE NEITHER UKRAINE NOR RUSSIA R MEMBERS.
Politics and Other Anomalies by Linda S Brooks. A Florida LLC FEIN 88-2001600. All Rights Reserved