Title
Praetorians or Professionals? Democratization and Military Intervention in Communist and Post‐Communist Russia
Department
Political Science and International Affairs
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1999
Abstract
Approaches to civil‐military relations that rely on a measure of ‘professionalism’ within a military's officer corps appear inadequate when applied to the post‐Soviet Russian military. Corrupt, suffering a catastrophic decline in prestige, riddled with delinquency in the ranks, and apparently lacking political support, and in other ways showing a lack of professionalism and respect, on reasonable expectations the Russian military would by now have intervened in the country's developing democratic processes. That has not happened: indeed, the general level of ‘praetorian’ behaviour appears to have declined despite declining professionalism. This poses a challenge to conventional theories of civil‐military relations in political science.
Recommended Citation
Moran, J. P. (1999). Praetorians or professionals? democratization and military intervention in communist and post‐communist russia. Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, 15(2), 41-68. doi:10.1080/13523279908415405