ABSTRACT
The Latin American military has long defended its role in politics and its responsibilities to the nation. In the modern era, the definition of military responsibility in Latin America has been linked to a number of leadership models designed to legitimate the role of the armed forces in national development. The 1980s ushered in a new era in which past models of military leadership were viewed as outdated and unworkable and military heads of state were roundly castigated for their failures and excesses. The signs that the new military managers are following the road of both reform and revitalization can be found throughout Latin America. The new military managers thus wait and hold on to what they have, confident that deteriorating social, economic, and political conditions will expand their influence and heighten their status. The transfer of power from Jimmy Carter to Reagan in 1981 did little to advance the antimilitary wave that was forming in Latin America.
