Percursos e desafios nas relações civil-militares na Nova República (1985-2020)

Abstract

Focusing on one of the most important political processes that occurred in Brazil, but also in other Latin American countries, this article sought to examine, even partially, the historical path of military participation in politics in the New Republic and seeks to answer the following questions: how were military personnel present in Brazil's political issues in the post-dictatorship? What were the points of tension and discussion between sectors of the Armed Forces and society in Brazil? To this end, a literature review on the theme of the Armed Forces and Politics was elaborated, and, methodologically, the qualitative techniques of content analysis of documents on Defense were adopted, as well as articles and interviews of military and civilians published in the media. The results point to a large set of situations that indicate a high degree of presence of the military in the public debate. From issues such as history and accountability for the crimes of the 1964-1985 dictatorship to political issues such as the creation of the Ministry of Defense and Defense documents, there was a military presence, both proposing and criticizing the themes. The fact that the military is not a homogeneous group is highlighted, but with some diversity of ideas and objectives. The transition to democracy allowed the military a lot of autonomy in certain sectors, contributing to the politicization of issues at different times. Minustah was an important moment in the search for a positive reconstruction of the military's image internally and externally, a process that is at risk from the presence and participation on the (as well as defense of the) Bolsonaro government by several military personnel.