Rebecca L. Schiff The Military and Domestic Politics

The intervention of the military in national politics and the everyday lives of citizens is a key question in civil-military relations. This book explains how concordance theory can provide a model for predicting such domestic intervention. Models dealing with the relationship between the military and society are usually based on Western nations with power and influence, and therefore may not be appropriate for the circumstances of non-Western countries. By contrast, concordance theory considers national contexts where the balance of military involvement in civilian life depends greatly on historical circumstances, institutional nuances, and cultural realities. Using five case studies - India, Pakistan, Israel, Argentina, and Post-Revolutionary America - this book challenges traditional views on the role of the military in society, and offers convincing examples for the continual application of concordance theory. It also explores the evolution of the theory from the field of military studies to one of ‘corporate concordance’. This book will be of much interest to advanced students of Civil-Military Relations, military sociology, political science and US politics.