The Military in Common-Risk Societies

The comparative project covers nine countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, and Russia. In sharp contrast to trends soon apparent in other parts of the world, notably in Asia, all countries in the West chose to cash in on "peace dividends" by substantially reducing their Cold War defense budgets and extensive military establishments. All countries have military cooperation ties to neighbors and/or allies, and participate in multinational major units or programs. Even France has drawn closer to the military wing of NATO. In Russia, military prestige, legitimacy, and confidence have been battered of late by disorganization, mistreatment of draftees, corruption scandals, and the Chechnya fiasco. Military morale is low also in Hungary and the Czech Republic. Relations among the military, the State and society are still deeply influenced by the weight of history. The French military is intimately connected with national tradition

Political science · Anthropology: Ethics, History, Culture