Military dictatorship
Few Communist regimes are military dictatorships, and controlling the military so that it cannot challenge the party has been a persistent concern of these regimes.
The typical military dictatorship in Latin America is ruled by a junta (derived from a Spanish word which can be translated as "conference" or "board"), or a committee composed of the military's most senior leadership. Other military dictatorships are entirely in the hands of a single officer, most often the senior army commander. In either case, the chairman of the junta or the single commander may often personally assume office as head of state.
In the Middle East and Africa military governments more often came to be lead by a signle powerful autocrat. Leaders like Idi Amin, Muammar al-Qaddafi, and Gamal Abdul Nasser worked to develop a personality cult and became the face of the nation inside and outside their countries.
Most military dictatorships are usually formed after a coup d'ÃÂétat after the previous regime had been overthrown. One very different pattern was that followed by Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq which began as a Ba'ath Party state but over the course of existance became a military dictatorship as its leaders donned uniforms and the military becaem closely involved in the government.
In the past, military juntas have justified their rule as a way of bringing political stability for the nation or rescuing it from the threat of dangerous ideologies. In Latin America the threat from communism was generally used, in the Middle East danger from Israel and later Islamic fundamentalism proved an important motivating pattern. Military regimes tend to portray themselves as non-partisan, and a "neutral" party that can provide interim leadership in times of turmoil, and also tend to portray civilian politicians as corrupt and ineffective. One of the almost universal degrees of a military government is the institution of martial law or a permanent state of emergency.
In practice, however, military regimes can often be quite brutal, staying in power for long periods of time and committing many human rights abuses.
Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East have been common areas for military dictatorships. Much of the reason is that the military often has more cohesion and institutional structure than most of the other institutions of society.
Military dictatorships can be contrasted with other forms of dictatorship. In most current and historical communist states, the center of power exists in civilian party officials, and very careful measures such as political officers and frequent rotations are taken to prevent the military from exercising independent authority.
Since the 1990s, military dictatorships have become less common. Reasons for this include the fact that military dictatorships no longer have much international legitimacy, as well as the fact that many militaries having unsuccessfully ruled many nations are now inclined not to become involved in political disputes.
In Latin America the regimes were replaced b democracies. In the Middle East regimes such as those of Syria and Egypt that were once clearly military dictatorships have switched to other forms of despotism.
Nations currently under military rule:
- Central African Republic
- Guinea-Bissau
- Libya
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Syria (somewhat)