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Brazil's stealth military intervention
[journal article]
Abstract
Between 2016 and 2020, a group of activist generals successfully plotted the Brazilian military's gradual return to the political center stage with powers unseen since the dictatorship. They achieved this without formally breaking the law, suspending the democratic process or overthrowing the govern... view more
Between 2016 and 2020, a group of activist generals successfully plotted the Brazilian military's gradual return to the political center stage with powers unseen since the dictatorship. They achieved this without formally breaking the law, suspending the democratic process or overthrowing the government. We call this a "stealth intervention," an incremental yet systematic attempt to redesign politics without causing a rupture, that fits neither in the existing typology of coups nor in the literature on democratic backsliding. We argue that Brazil's stealth intervention, built upon the military's existing tutelary prerogatives and driven by an unreformed praetorian worldview that resurfaced amidst a sustained crisis of democracy, challenges the prevalent view of the armed forces as a reactive force that intervenes in civilian politics only when its institutional interests are threatened. Finally, we show that democratic backsliding in Brazil started under Bolsonaro's predecessor, Michel Temer, and point to the generals’ understudied role in this process.... view less
Keywords
Brazil; deficit; democracy; power; military; military intervention; political power; political institution; civil society
Classification
Political System, Constitution, Government
Free Keywords
Demokratiedefizit; Institutionelle politische Macht; Verhältnis Militär - Gesellschaft
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 31-54
Journal
Journal of Politics in Latin America, 14 (2022) 1
ISSN
1868-4890
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed