%0 Journal Article
%T Democratization and Military Reform in the Philippines
%A Marcus Schulzke
%J Journal of Asia Pacific Studies
%D 2010
%I Guild of Independent Scholars
%X The Philippines are one of the most successful Asiandemocracies, with regular elections, a broad electorate, and peacefultransfers of power between parties. However, the country¡¯s politicaldevelopment is threatened my multiple armed factions. Muslim insurgents, private armies, and communist guerrillas pose a challenge to democratic rule as each tests state capacity and drives the state to use repressive measures. These threats persist because of the lack of professionalism in the Philippine Armed Forces ¨C a military that is plagued by corruption, abuse of civilians, and ineffectiveness against the insurgents. This essay shows that an essential step in the Philippines¡¯ continuing democratization is to reshape the AFP into a more effective and politically neutral force.
%K The Philippines
%K Democracy
%K Military Reform
%K Elections
%U http://www.japss.org/upload/11.marcus.pdf