The Guardians

Who is Guarding the Guardians?

by Ayla G. McBreen

Who is Guarding the Guardians? examines the changing nature of civil-military relations since the Vietnam War. Three case studies explore civil-military relationships during Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The author discusses the danger of politicizing the military and includes examples of how the military has gained political power since Vietnam. The fact that political elites fail to understand the dangers of treating the military as a political tool can be traced to the gap between civilians and the military. An increase of political influence by military leaders creates a perception that military leaders have a role to play in national politics. This should be viewed as a dangerous trend for our democracy.

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