Policy Coalitions, Economic Reform and Military Power in Ecuador and Venezuela

Military coups and coup attempts, as well as the establishment, or continuation, of economic/social development roles for the military far outside traditional security missions have been a part of civil-military relations in Ecuador and Venezuela since 1990. The military's greater role in Ecuador and Venezuela has in part been a consequence of the failure of neoliberal and globalist policy coalitions to establish and maintain a hegemonic consensus over political power and national policy. This failure has undermined progress in orienting the military in a 'democratic' direction that prioritises traditional security roles under the ultimate command of civilian authorities. It has also allowed for competing models of civil-military relations to emerge that draw upon nationalist or socialist models of military power and democracy.