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REVISTA IEEE 9
http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee
258
Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies Núm. 9 / 2017
Exception to this seems to be the system of promotions and appointments.
Although in principle there is a procedure based on merit and professional proficiency
to regulate them, empirical evidence would show that it is subject to the frequent
interference of external forces that try to impose on the system criteria of ideological
and political affinity. This might mean that politicization of the armed forces is yet
an issue in Greece’s CMR, and would indicate that Greece’s civil-military relations
are more based on bonds of personal trust or clientage than they are on the trust the
civilians extend to the armed forces as a “politically sterile” institution.
As it is now, the civil-military nexus is much regulated in Greece. Abundant
legislation lays out roles, responsibilities and procedures of those involved in the
relationship. However, the procedures set forth in it are not always followed and so,
they are not of much practical value sometimes. The level of supervision of the military
seems also to be low; partly due to the relatively weak public debate on security, and
the generally insufficient level of understanding of defense issues among the public
and the political elites alike; partly due to the weak oversight role the Parliament plays
in the political life of Greece.
Greece is among the few European nations still maintaining a military based on
conscription. The system appears to be generally accepted, and the country does not
seem to be confronted with the kind of strong opposition to conscription other Western
democracies have experienced in the past. The system, however, may be challenged in
the future, on account of the nation’s negative demographic indicators. This will force
Greece, sooner or later, to review its model, and to reevaluate its CMR pattern.
CONCLUSIONS
In this paper we have tried to develop a methodology to analyze civil-military
relations patterns. Obviously, other approaches are possible. The practical application
of the proposed one to the cases of the United Kingdom and Greece illustrates how
it can help to identify deficiencies that may cause friction, dysfunctional CMR, or
even threats to civilian supremacy. The value of the method lies in that it does it
by holistically considering the many facets shaping civil-military relations, and by
keeping their interrelations in sight, instead of taking them one by one.
The analysis should serve as a compass to orientate the search for remedial actions
that might help, if needed, to redress and optimize the CMR balance. Because the
approach is holistic, any recommendation of change in one area has to consider the
impact it may have on the rest so as to minimize the possibility of improving one area
at the cost of deteriorating another one.
As we have already suggested, civil-military relations are ultimately culture-based.
For that reason, the application of the model, the conclusions we might reach and,
above all, any recommendation on remedial action has to pass through the filter of
whatever is acceptable and feasible in the cultural environment of the pattern under
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- p 111-131.pdf
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- Book review
- En busca de una Estrategia de Seguridad Nacional
- Ángel Gómez de Ágreda
- Book review
- Ethical leadership and responsible management as levers for improvement in security, emergency and defence organisations
- Javier Jordán Enamorado
- Central Asians fighting in Syria: the danger of Islamic State retournees to Central Asia
- Carlos García-Guiu López
- The Islamic state and Jabhat Al-Nusra; new actors in Lebanon?
- Antonio Alonso Marcos
- The cartoon, the new weapon of the first world war
- Javier Lion Bustillo
- Defining a model for analysis of civil-military relations patterns
- Manuel García Ruiz
- Proxy wars in cyberspace
- Salvador Sánchez Tapia
- Presentation of Issue nº 9 of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE) Magazine
- Manuel R. Torres Soriano
- Miguel Ángel Ballesteros Martín
- Consejo de redacción
- Miguel Ángel Ballesteros Martín
- Presentación de la revista
- Manuel R. Torres Soriano
- Guerras por delegación en el ciberespacio
- Proxy wars in cyberspace
- Salvador SánchezTapia
- Definición de un procedimiento de análisis de modelos de relaciones cívico-militares
- Defining a model for analysis of civil-military relations patterns
- Manuel García Ruiz
- La viñeta, la nueva arma durante la I Guerra Mundial
- The cartoon, the new weapon of the First World War
- Javier Lion Bustillo
- El Estado Islámico y Jabhat al-Nusra, ¿nuevos actores en el Líbano?
- The Islamic State and Jabhat Al-Nusra; new actors in Lebanon?
- Antonio Alonso Marcos
- Centroasiáticos luchando en Siria: El peligro de los retornados del Estado Islámico para Asia Central
- Central Asians fighting in Syria: The danger of Islamic State retournees to Central Asia
- Carlos García-Guiu López
- Liderazgo ético y gestión responsable como vectores de mejora en las Organizaciones de Seguridad, Emergencia y Defensa
- Ethical leadership and responsible management as levers for improvement in security, emergency and defence organisations
- Javier Jordán Enamorado
- En busca de una Estrategia de Seguridad Nacional
- Ángel Gómez de Ágreda
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