ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on military and regional integration within the broader field of analysis of civil–military relations in Latin America. It then turns to a historical exploration referred to as the ‘soldier and the pueblo’, which aims to explain and understand the roots of what here is called ‘popular geopolitics’. The chapter presents an analysis of the geopolitics of integration and development, with examples of the different directions mentioned. An important dimension in the analysis of armed forces in Latin America is concerned with the dimension called ‘civil–military relations’. A review of the literature on civil–military relations shows that the ‘developmentalist’ and pro-integrationist forces are often neglected, particularly those upholding a democratic and popular developmentalism. When mentioned, these are usually inserted under the label of ‘populism’, epitomized by Juan Domingo Peron and the Justicialist movement in Argentina.
