Role of the Military in Brazil and Nigeria - Coursework Example

of the Political Science of the Teacher 15 April Role of the Military in Brazil and Nigeria Introduction It is a fact that there does not exist any unanimous theoretical consensus as to how the role of military be defined in democratic societies. Nor do the experts speak in one voice as to how the democratic societies ought to exercise control over their military. However, it has been seen that in many of the democratic societies there does exist a clear cut legal framework backed by a valid constitution that defines the essential relationship between the state and the military that does govern and delineate the role of military in a state. However, the role of military in a state to a large extent is imminent on the relations of the state with its neighbors, the existence of viable external and internal threats and the power army commands in the military affairs of a state. The role of the military in Brazil and Nigeria needs to be understood and compared in the light of these facts. While Brazil being a peaceful Latin American nation with vast borders to be patrolled and the natural wealth to be guarded does require it’s military to reconfigure its roles in a civic and peacemaking context, Nigeria being in a volatile situation affiliated to palpable external threats and internal insurgency does require it’s military to stick to more traditional combat roles. Thereby, the role of the military in Brazil and Nigeria are susceptible to the external and internal political scenario in the two nations. Role of Military in Brazil It is a reality that Latin America is a relatively peaceful land mass with scarce external military and insurgent threats. Thereby Brazil has enjoyed a relationship of peace with most of its neighbors since decades. Besides Brazil does not have any territorial disputes in land or at sea with any of the Latin American nations. Brazil does not share a relationship of animosity with any of the major South American nations. Thereby, it is a fact that the military in Brazil does not face any imminent threats and thereby it does not have the need to define its role in an adversarial context in a strategic environment marked by prolonged peace and political stability (Roskin 460). However, in case of Brazil, it does happen to be a unique Latin American nation that shares its borders with an array of other neighbors. In that context, going by the large and vast territorial and oceanic borders that the nation has it does have the need for deploying patrol forces along these borders. The land borders of Brazil extend to a massive 10, 500 miles almost the length of the coastline under the control of Brazil extends to 4,500 miles (Edwards 3). Thereby the military in Brazil does have the onus to patrol these massive land and sea borders that require a relatively large manpower and massive resources. Border patrolling is one of the salient responsibilities that the military in Brazil has to take care of. Hence, it is not a wonder that Brazil has the third largest military in Latin America with an overall strength of almost 235,000 personnel. In addition to this man force, Brazil also has reserves amounting to 1.8 Million (Edwards 254). Brazil also has a military state police comprising of 400,000 personnel and military fire fighter corps comprising of 50,000 individuals (Edwards 254). Besides, Brazil happened to be the first nation in South America that employed women in military. Brazilian armed forced employ about 17,000 women (Edwards 254). The thing is that with no or next to miniscule external or internal threats, the Brazilian army is trying to redefine its role in a more civic and peaceful context. In the current context, one major task that the military of Brazil is dedicated to is protecting the Amazon rain forests coming within the ambit of Brazil. Brazilian military has deployed significant number of troops to the far flung reaches of Amazon rain forests so as to heavily crack down on illegal deforestation and gold mining (Romero 1). Brazilian army has taken concerted measures to establish the nation’s sovereignty over it massive porous borders in the Amazon rain forests. To protect the Brazilian natural resources, the Brazilian military has deployed troops as far as its borders with Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana and Surinam (Romero 1). In the redefined role of the military in Brazil, the Amazonian rainforests are at present the military’s number one priority, going by their relevance as a massive source of biodiversity, natural resources and water. Going by the fact that almost 60 percent of the Amazon rain forests are present within the borders of Brazil, establishing the national sovereignty over Amazon is a role that the Brazilian army is dedicated to. Illegal mining and deforestation is not the only issue marring Amazon (Romero 1). The Amazon has also turned out to be a hub for drug trafficking mafia (Romero 1)). The Brazilian army is committed to restraining the drug mafia active in the region. The Brazilian military at this juncture is closely collaborating with neighboring nations to gather information and intelligence regarding Amazon. So far the Brazilian military had been reluctant to jump into the war on drugs. The military believes that getting involved in the war on drugs will corrupt its ranks. Thereby they are apprehensive of it. Besides the military also believes that it is an unending war that needs to be dealt with by the civic police, and they do not see any role in it. Brazilian military is also averse to the American interference in the region and holds that making too much of the war on drugs will give to the US a ploy to stay for a sustained period in the region (Edwards 192). Brazilian military has also taken on civic action in a big way in the recent years. The army has taken up efforts in the poverty stricken areas to work in the area of education as well as to distribute the donated food (Hunter 27). The army is undergoing a makeup to fit into the role of an instrument of civic actions. The army has also taken up construction activities in the underdeveloped areas, which involves the large scale construction of schools, housing projects, roads, bridges, and sanitation systems (Hunter 27). The army believes that illiteracy, unemployment, poverty and crime are in a way constitute a potent threat to the national security and thereby the civic action roles undertaken by the army to a large extent strengthen the nation (Hunter 27). The Brazilian military has also a glorious history of contributing troops to the UN peacekeeping missions, a responsibility that the Brazilian military still respects and accepts. The Brazilian military has been an integral part of more than thirty three UN peacekeeping missions. The role of the military in Brazil unlike Nigeria differs in the sense that Brazil is a nation right now placed in a more or less stable and peaceful part of the world. Unlike Nigeria, the Brazilian military is not placed in an adversarial role against any internal or external enemy. Thereby to redefine its relevance, the military in Brazil has over the years appropriated for itself the roles of a custodian of the rainforests and natural resources, an instrument of nationwide civic action and a committed contributor to the UN peace missions. Role of Military in Nigeria In Nigeria military had a long history of staging military coups and many of the military generals in Nigeria had been at the helm of political affairs from time to time. Nigerian army happens to be the biggest army in the West Africa. However when it comes to capability it falls pathetically short of the standards affiliated to by the Brazilian army. Yet, in the current context, the institution of Military in Nigeria is seen as a facilitator of democracy within the country. In the changed scenario, the military that earlier saw itself as the custodian of power within Nigeria has come to terms with the fact that the military rule needs to be an avoidable aberration. The military in Nigeria has avoided entering the democratic space within Nigeria since 1999. It is a different thing that many of the ex military generals and an array of former military officers in Nigeria are at present in the race for entering the military space through democratic means and opportunities (Siollun 57). Thereby if one delves on the role of military in Nigeria, the military has always been intimately associated with the power framework within Nigeria (Siollun 24). In the changed circumstances, the military has for time given up the tactics of dethroning democratically elected leadership and is thereby trying to eke out a share in power through visibly democratic means. Many retired military officers have wrested senior posts in the executive and legislative frameworks of the state. Discernibly speaking the military in Nigeria has formally taken up the role of protecting and strengthening democracy in the country. The one other way the Nigerian military differs from that in Brazil is that time and again, by both the internal and international observers, the Nigerian military has been blamed of being one of the most corrupt military in the region (Siollun 17). Many of the senior military officers have been known to wrecking the foundations of democracy by infiltrating corruption in the political system and stashing tons of black money into their foreign accounts (Siollun 17). The military has been able to maintain a precarious peace in the oil rich Niger Delta, however, both the national and international observers have accused the Nigerian military of exercising excessive force in the region (Siollun 159). No doubt when it comes to capability and discipline, the Nigerian military comes out as utterly unruly and poor as compared to the Brazilian army. Compared to the peaceful civic role adopted by the military in Brazil, the Nigerian military does need to retain its adversarial combat status with regards to many of the internal threats that the nation faces. The massive bloodshed unleashed by the Nigerian armed group Boko Haram has unleashed a big challenge for the Nigerian military. Boko Haram is a highly sectarian terrorist group that has resorted to massive bloodshed and arson and kidnappings with impunity, without evincing any meaningful and stiff resistant from the Nigerian army (Stein 1). Irrespective of the fact that Nigeria happens to have one of Africa’s most massive military forces, who did play a very concerted and positive role in the peace missions at Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Nigerian military to a large extent have been unable to put an end to the large scale violence unleashed by Boko Haram, the terrorist group that now hold within its sway large tracts of land in the Northeastern states of Borno and Adamawa (Stein 1). This failure of the Nigerian forces against Boko Haram does evince the tactical lacunas inherent in the somewhat unprofessional Nigerian army like the absence of a unified command apparatus, old and obsolete military equipment, depleting morale of the military and very large scale corruption that is making the task of upgrading and modernizing the military a horrendous task (Stein 1). The claims of approaching military victory being made by the commanders do sound hollow and empty if one goes by the conduct of the harassed Nigerian soldiers at the actual battle front. Unlike the highly professional and resilient army of Brazil that has assumed the role of a civic and peaceful instrument of state, the Nigerian army besides being a source of much corruption and rot, it evincing utter incapability in being able to defend the nation against internal armed insurgency. Conclusion A comparative analysis of the Brazilian and Nigerian military does convey that the military in any democratic set up picks up a lot from the past historical baggage and the commitment of the contemporary leadership to bolster and strengthen the institution of democracy. The democratic and free market reforms in Brazil have been unraveling in a concerted and systematic manner that did indeed alter the mindset of the military and help it assume humane and developmental roles. However, in case of Nigeria, the corruption and rot are too deep seated that have not only infiltrated the mindset of the army but are also making it incapable to assume the roles that are in consonance with the immediate strategic interests of the nation. Works Cited Edwards, Todd L. Brazil: A Global Studies Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Cilo, 2008. Print. Hunter, Wendy. State and Soldier in Latin America. New York: Diane Publishing, 2013. Print. Romero, Simon. “Brazil Sending Troops to Guard Amazon Borders”. The New York Times 3 May 2012. Web. 15 April 2015. Roskin, Michael G. Countries and Concepts: Politics, Geography, Culture. New York: Pearson, 2012. Print. Siollun, Max. Oil, Politics and Violence. New York: Algora, 2009. Print. Stein, Chris. “Why Nigeria’s Military is losing the Battle Against Boko Haram”. Aljazeera America 13 January 2015. Web. 15 April 2015. Read More