CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN BANGLADESH

Like many Third World nations, Bangladesh is a new nation with a long history of military rule. Like many LLDCS, it is a poor country in search of a better economy and a democratic polity. The survival of democracy and the growth of the economy is critically dependent on stable civil-military relations. One can see four phases of civil-military relations in Bangladesh's short history. Most models of civil-military relations emphasize the domestic sphere to the exclusion of the international system. An alternative model is developed which incorporates both the internal and external factors impacting civil-military relations. It emphasizes that foreign policy and world politics is an important variable in building democratic institutions and economic welfare.