Thursday, July 22, 2010

Some 'Special' Issues of Civil-Military Relations

The Study and Research on CMR is one area of neglect in India. The classic work on the theory of CMR by Samuel Huntington (The Soldier and the State, 1959) is an example, though ‘old’ in a way. This work is one way of thinking about CMR. It had two assumptions. First, it assumed that CMR in any society should be studied as a system composed of interdependent elements. The second was that ‘objective civilian control’ maximizes military security. The assumptions are fully valid even today, but the Study needs to be developed further in the Indian Conditions.

Srinath Raghavan of the Centre of Policy Research, New Delhi, in the July 2010, in it’s special issue of the Monthly Journal Seminar commented that matters of operational issues, and the leading role being played by the Services impact CMR. Civil Society and 24x7 Media causes civil interference to the detriment of CMR.

Gautam observes that the topic is just not about the military’s relations with the civil leadership and bureaucracy only, but ‘Massive Import Syndrome’ and related issues in Civil and Military alike, could dilute the CMR for various reasons.

Read the Article: Some Issues of Civil-Military Relations

We feel that we need to take Note of it. The debate on the CMR has not matured well in India.

Svipja CMR Chair aims to harness the intellect in the CMR sphere.

Svipja CMR Chair
Courtesy: IDSA, India.

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