The author analyzes the contrasting patterns of military power in Latin America's post-transition regimes - those wishing to consolidate new democracies. He shows how learning from the past, the domestic environment and the international context affect military beliefs about their role in politics.

Introduction: The Armed Forces and Democracy --The Military and Politics in Latin America: Institutional Development, Professionalism, and Political Context -- Contemporary Patterns of Civil-Military Relations: Origins and Evolution -- Military Role Beliefs in New Democracies: Ideology and Context in Argentina and Ecuador -- National Security: Ideology, Doctrine, Threats, and Missions -- Military Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Latin America -- Democratic Professionalist Alternatives.