ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes an alternative theory to argue that three partners—the military, the political elites, and the citizenry—should aim for a cooperative relationship that may or may not involve separation but does not require it. This concordance theory sees a high level of integration between the military and other parts of society as one of several types of civil-military relationship. The chapter briefly discusses and critiques the current civil-military relations theory. It applies concordance theory to India and Pakistan respectively. The Indian case demonstrates how the theory of separation of civil-military relations fails to explain a particular example of relationships between the military, the political elites, and the society. Pakistan reflects a nation where cultural and institutional discordance resulted in domestic military intervention, civil war, and the country's eventual partition. The chapter offers a brief analysis of concordance theory within the context of regional challenges to South Asia, including Chinese influence and its impact on nuclear proliferation.
