The Civil-Military Relations in Comparative Perspective: Germany, Qatar and Pakistan: An Analysis using the Huntington Theory of Objective Civilian Control

Abstract

The principle of objective civilian control, which is the core of stable democratic governance, is stressed in classical civil-military theory, best known by Samuel P. Huntington. Huntington claims that the civilian supremacy coupled with the maintenance of military efficiency is a result of the professionalization of the military and its non-involvement in political decision-making processes. In this article, the theoretical framework of Huntington is used in order to comparatively analyze the civil-military relations of Qatar, Germany, and Pakistan. Regardless of an enormous difference in regime type, historical experience, and institutional design, the three cases exemplify different directions toward which objective civilian control is either formalized, modified, or disputed. The analysis has made it possible to prove that Germany is close to the ideal model depicted by Huntington, Qatar is oriented on the individualized form of objective control under the monarchical government, and Pakistan has constant deviations of a classical model because of the politicization of the military