Democratic survival and quality

This chapter complements the statistical analyses in Chapter 5 with case studies to understand how the degree of civilian control affects the survival and quality of democracy in third wave democracies. First, the chapter contextualizes the statistical findings in greater detail by delving into the 18 instances of breakdown of third wave democracies from 1974–2010, distinguishing three distinct military roles as (i) perpetrator, (ii) partner, or (iii) bystander in processes of democratic regime breakdown. Second, two process tracing case studies of Brazil (weak civilian control and low democratic quality) and Taiwan (strong civilian control and high democratic quality) uncover how the development of civilian control has affected the quality of democratic institutions and processes in both countries. Overall, weak civilian control and, especially, an extensive military role in the provision of internal security are likely to lead to impingements on citizens’ political rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law. Supporting comparative case evidence from Portugal, Romania, South Africa, and Turkey reiterates the crucial importance of civilian control, not only for democratic survival, but also for the quality of third wave democracies. In sum, the case study evidence uncovered in this chapter corroborates the theoretical arguments outlined in the second chapter of this book.