Civil-Military Relations Program in Mozambique: Lessons Learned and Future Challenges; Monograph

摘要

The Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR) was invited by the Minister of Defense to develop and implement programs to help Mozambique consolidate democratic civil-military relations. The first program was held at the CCMR in Monterey, California, in March 1998 for the Minister and four other top officials, and was followed by a program in Maputo, Mozambique, in March of 1999 for 56 officers and civilians. The CCMR programs fit centrally into the Government of Mozambique's overall strategy to develop new structures and processes to solidify domestic stability and democratic governance. The tremendous scope of this challenge can be readily appreciated by Mozambique's troubled history since the armed independence movement emerged in 1962 and continuing since independence on 25 June 1975. During the past 40 years, Mozambique has been caught up in the dramatic political changes which have swept Southern Africa. The events include a decade of guerrilla warfare, achievement of independence, controversial initial decisions to transform the society, civil war, regional conflict, economic dislocation and widespread misery, and finally peace in 1992 followed by democratic elections two years later. The Cold War also was part of the story. Today, at the end of the Century, the prospects for peace, stability, and development are better than at any time since independence. Nevertheless, the country's challenges are daunting. Currently Mozambique is the poorest country in Africa, if not the world, with a 1996 GDP per capita of $90. Mozambique's strategic position as a maritime outlet on the Indian Ocean for its neighbors, including South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia; its potential as a source of electrical energy; and its diplomatic influence in the Great Lakes Region and in Angola make the question of Mozambican stability and development a vital one for the entire region.