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| Originally Posted by SimonK Article 12 of the Costa Rican constitution
" The Army as a permanent institution is abolished. There shall be the necessary police forces for surveillance and the preservation of the public order. |
All very well and good if you want to model yourself, nationally, on a banana republic...and we're all aware of just how well Central & South American countries' 'police forces' treat such mundane items like freedom of speech, human rights and the maintenance of law and order for the man in the street who's not paying his wages or protecting him under corrupt patronage?
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| Originally Posted by SimonK Military forces may only be organized under a continental agreement or for the national defense; in either case, they shall always be subordinate to the civil power: they may not deliberate or make statements or representations individually or collectively " |
So written to keep, as should always be the way, armed forces from these places (Pinochet's Chile, anyone?) committing their weekly
coups d'etat before further committing their habitual rounds of making any detractors go 'missing'.
Also, only having forces assembled/trained/mustered/stood to at a time of national crisis, such as being under attack, means that your forces are ill-prepared to prosecute that war - which, ironically, leaves your country open to being overrun/invaded by an aggressor with the result of you having no say on how you spend your national budget, be that defence, education etc.
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| Originally Posted by SimonK So its seems at least one country dosn't belive in military spending. Of course it may be that thier police force looks remarkably like an army!
Simon |
Bingo - these places merely end up with (what passes for) an army/armed forces by an another name: The Balkans, 90% of Central/South America et al.