Ortega's control over the Nicaraguan military

Orlando Perez provides his insights into the most recent democratic setback in Nicaragua for Latin America Goes Global. The post is very good. Check it out. I found Ortega's increasing control over the military as the most interesting part of the analysis.

Among the most significant moves to consolidate power was Ortega’s effort to re-politicize the military by promoting loyal Sandinista officers and consistently intervening into internal military matters. Initially rebuffed by the armed forces, Ortega has succeeded in changing the military code to increase presidential authority over the military, politicizing the management of the military and isolating the Ministry of Defense from the chain of command.

The changes approved in early 2014 also included the addition of “national security” to the Army’s essential role. The new military code assigns the Army new tasks: “to intervene in uprisings and riots that exceed the Police’s capacity to extinguish them,” to control telecommunications and to “protect” both public businesses—a task previously assigned to the Police—and “mixed capital” companies, which include the numerous businesses controlled by state-owned entities from the powerful ALBA consortium. A new police code also approved in 2014 further consolidates Ortega’s personal and political power over the entire security apparatus.

Once an example of change—albeit imperfect—Nicaragua’s civil-military relations have deteriorated since 2006 in ways that have undermined the military’s apolitical nature. While subordination to the elected president remains, the independence of the military has been weakened and many Nicaraguans fear that the institution will return to its pre-1990 condition as the armed wing of the FSLN.

During the 1980s, the Nicaraguan military was probably the most professional of all those at war in Central America. They did not earn the reputation for brutality that their neighbors in Guatemala and El Salvador did, perhaps even Honduras. A bit of power-sharing took place when the Sandinistas were voted out of office in 1990. However, the professionalism of the military and the police, don't forget them, is generally seen as one of the most important factors in explaining the relatively low levels of overt criminal violence in Nicaragua today. The politicization of the military and its increasing power and responsibilities relative to the police should concern Nicaraguans and people interested in the country's welfare.

Unfortunately, it's not just the Nicaraguan military that poses a threat to democracy in the region. Guatemala increased the size of its military by 57 percent between 2008 and 2014. Over the same time period, El Salvador increased its armed forces personnel by 50 percent. El Salvador now has the largest army in Central America in spite of its small geographic size and lack of external threats. Their militaries have increased quite significantly at the same time we have all been calling for a decrease in the military's role in public security and increase in that of the police.