Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

BY TRADITION, THE DOMINICAN Republic's armed forces
have been active in the competition for national political
power and have often functioned as a praetorian guard for the
government holding power. The turbulent period of the early
1960s led to three coups against the civilian government by the
military leadership. Violence between reformist and conservative
military elements brought the country close to civil war in
1965, and intervention by the United States was required to
restore order. However, it appeared that during the 1970s and
the 1980s, successive governments were able to reduce the military's
former role in national political life as self-appointed
final arbiter of public policy.
By the late 1980s, the stature of the armed forces had been
reduced to that of an important interest group competing with
other such groups for power and influence within the nation's
increasingly pluralistic political system. It would be premature,
however, to conclude that the goal of developing an institutionalized
and apolitical military establishment had been completely
realized by 1999. Individual military officers continued
to exert considerable political influence, and armed forces
units continued to be employed overtly during political campaigns.
Nevertheless, the military's explicit support of civilian
governments during the 1980s, and particularly ofJoaquin Balaguer
Ricardo, who served as president between 1986 and
1996, suggested that the armed forces had accepted the principle
of civilian control. The military leadership benefited financially
during Balaguer's rule, but could not act independently
of the president. Balaguer's successor, Leonel Fernandez
Reyna, began his term by dismissing or retiring many generals
in what was seen as part of an effort to restore higher standards
to a military institution whose standards had slackened under
Balaguer.
The armed forces have as their primary mission the defense
of the nation's territorial integrity. However, as of 1999, the
country faced no credible external threat, and the military
served more as an internal security force, working with the
National Police and the narcotics police to maintain domestic
order, to combat the increasingly serious problem of narcotics
trafficking, and to control contraband and illegal immigration
from Haiti.
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