Dr. Linda A. RodrÌguez has assembled a new collection of essays that finally provides the historical context necessary to understand the Latin American military. The articles included here examine a variety of time periods and nations, from the counterinsurgency army of New Spain, to the nineteenth-century War of the Pacific, to the modern relationship between the military and development. The contributors look at the ways in which Latin America's armed forces have changed over time, and how external threats as well as internal rivalries have shaped the military. Together, these essays trace the roots of the military's power and the growth of its political influence.

Chapter 1 International War and Government Modernization: The Military-A Case Study Chapter 2 "La Causa Buena": The Counterinsurgency Army of New Spain and the Ten Years' War Chapter 3 Authoritarianism and Militarism in Ecuador Chapter 4 The War of the Pacific Chapter 5 The South American Military Tradition: Preprofessional Armies in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil Chapter 6 The Armed Forces and Industrialists in Modern Brazil: The Drive for Military Autonomy, 1889-1945 Chapter 7 Caudillismo and Institutional Change: Manuel Odrìa and the Peruvian Armed Forces, 1948-1956 Chapter 8 The Military and Development Chapter 9 The Latin American Military, Low-Intensity Conflict, and Democracy Chapter 10 Military Professionalism and Nonintervention in Mexico

Linda Alexander Rodrìguez is assistant director of the Latin American Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.