The purpose of this cross-cultural, comparative study is to develop a mid-range theory of the politicization of the military in monarchies and to offer explanations for exceptions to the theory. Three North African societies, Libya, Morocco, and Ethiopia, are examined in depth to determine elements common to the politicization of the military. Two Southeast Asian countries, Thailand, and Cambodia, are then analyzed to validate the theory. Appendices are included to give a brief explanation of General Systems Theory (David Easton) and to provide extensive data on the countries examined. In a world where the most common means of legally seizing political power is through the coup, the need for such a theory is self-evident. The treatise is both a political science and a military scholastic work since it encompasses the scope of both of the sciences; their inter-relationship promises practical application in both disciplines. Generally, the military is politicized in four stages. The first stage, that of a relatively apolitical, passive role of the army is a common starting point. The second stage is where the army discovers that it has valid claims as an interest group and some capacity politically to achieve its demands--a stage through which the military must pass if it is to be able to overthrow the monarch. The third level of military involvement which follows stage #2 is both an intensification of the second stage and a fuller recognition of national problems. In the final stage the military can no longer countenance the situation as it exists and takes the political leadership by force or threat of force. Two parameters which are the best indicators of the current relationship of the monarch with the military are the "legitimacy" of the monarchy and the "problems" the society is encountering. If the monarch sacrifices legitimacy for expediency or through carelessness and cannot reduce real or perceived problems to an acceptable level a critical point will eventually be reached at which the military leadership will take action. Rulers who aspire to continue to rule as well as reign must have both special qualifications and practice a policy of depoliticization of the military. The first of these tasks requires the prevention of the formation of meaningful political relationships within the military. Loyalties must be to the throne first and to military leaders second; either many competing organizations within the military must be formed or leadership must be changed frequently. More ideally, the king must be the real military leader as well as the titular one. The theory establishes the groundwork for its application to other authoritarian societies on a mid-range level and its integration into general systems theory.

AD 0748156 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)