Oberlin Digital Commons at Oberlin Faculty & Staff choS larship Fall 1-1-2011 Military Entrepreneurs: Patterns In Latin America Kristina Mani Oberlin College,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/faculty_schol Repository Citation Mani, Kristina. Fall 2011. "Military Entrepreneurs: Patterns In Latin America." Latin American Politics And Society 53(3): 25-55. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons at Oberlin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty & Staff choS larship by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at Oberlin. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Military Entrepreneurs: Patterns in Latin America Kristina Mani ABSTRACT Despite the recent shift to democratic regimes and market-based economies, in many Latin American countries the military retains important economic roles as owner, manager, and stakeholder in economic enterprises. Such military entrepreneurship poses a chal- lenge to the development of democratic civil-military relations and, by extension, to the development of liberal democracy in the region. While scholars have noted this situation with concern, they have given little attention to distinguishing the different types of military entrepreneurship, which reflect distinct historical patterns and implications. This article identifies two major types of military entrepreneurs in Latin America: industrializers, determined to build national defense capabilities and compete for international prestige; and nation builders, seeking to promote economic development that can foster social development and cohesion. Case studies of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, and Ecuador demonstrate important differ- ences between these two types in their origins, paths, and political consequences.