ABSTRACT
In 1902 Argentina, Brazil, and Chile signed the "Pactos de Mayo," a disarmament agreement that compelled resale of some ships previously ordered by Argentina to Japan and by Chile to the United Kingdom. The most noteworthy case of military autonomy is that of the Argentine armed forces in the 1982 Malvinas conflict. Greater US involvement in Latin America will mean greater US capacity to monitor conflicts that may arise there. Unlike restricted guerrilla outbreaks in Venezuela, the Colombian guerrilla movement is a constant destabilizing force for local politics. A recurring characteristic of the military's definition of a security context is the linking of foreign policy to the internal sociopolitical situation in each country. For different internal political reasons, almost all Latin American countries have been incapable of subjecting their armed institutions to effective civilian control.
