Civil-military relations in a democracy
Both elected political leadership and military establishment have their respective and clearly defined roles to play in
a nation. One should not unnecessarily intervene into
the professional roles of the other
A Wednesday seminar, jointly organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Armed Forces Division, (AFD) has specifically discussed the need of an effective framework for a balanced civil-military relations (CMR) where elected political leadership would practice supremacy over the military establishment. Attended by politicians, diplomats, military high-ups, think-tanks and many other dignitaries the colloquium was indeed a very important one for a country that has survived some 15 years of controversial military rule since its inception as an independent and a sovereign state. This initiative in bridging the gap between civil and military bureaucracies in Bangladesh is welcome. Such joint programmes help in determine and clearly understand the basis of harmonious functioning of the two together, removing misapprehensions.
While generally not considered a separate academic area of study in and of itself, CMR involves scholars and practitioners from many fields and specialties. It draws upon such diverse fields as law, philosophy, area studies, psychology, cultural studies, anthropology, economics, history, diplomatic history, journalism, and the military, among others. It involves studies and research not merely limited to: civilian control of the military, military professionalism, war, civil-military operations, military institutions, and other related subjects.
Both elected political leadership and military establishment have their respective and clearly defined roles to play in a nation. One should not unnecessarily intervene into the professional roles of the other. Given what has happened during the successive military regimes here, a crevice still exists within our two establishments. Everybody in the seminar unanimously agreed that in a democracy elected political leadership must practice supremacy over the military. True indeed, but in order to ensure that deserved supremacy, we must put an end to all internal civil-civil conflicts while making our civil establishments more efficient and strong.
Both our civil and military establishments must draw lessons from the detrimental outcomes of military regimes spread across the globe and also the current failed coup in Turkey. Both should realise the fact that, in a state each should execute ones duties while drawing clear borders as far as professionalism is concerned. Our military has, however, matured and acted more responsibly over the past two and half decades, yet the actual problem is rather empirical - to explain how civilian control over the military is established and maintained. Finally, like many countries in the developing world the gaps between the two in Bangladesh are related to their distinctive cultures and connectivity. We believe it can be overcome if both bureaucracies jointly intend to work for a common goal how to make democracy more rewarding.
