Rewind and Reconnoiter: The Dangers of Intertwining Politics and Military

In 2020, David Pion-Berlin and Andrew Ivey wrote “Civil-Military Lessons from Latin America,” which argued that militaries can publicly dissent from orders that endanger military professionalism and human rights while protecting professional standards and preventing democratic backsliding. In the wake of additional cases of civil-military strain in Latin America over the last four years, we asked David and Andrew to revisit their article. Read more below: Image: Flickr (Photo by Dennis Jarvis) In your 2020 article “Civil-Military Lessons from Latin America,” you argue that military officers can dissent from presidential orders when “military professionalism and the lives of fellow citizens