"The Soldier and the Changing State is the single most ambitious and complete analysis on civil-military relations in democratizing states. Barany examines a variety of country case studies, ranging from transition experiences after dictatorships and communist regimes to postwar and postcolonial nations. This is an extremely important contribution to the understanding of the relationship between the role of the military and the government in diverse transition situations."--Narcís Serra, chairman of the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals and former Spanish Minister of Defense
"We know that the fate of political regimes ultimately rests with people who bear arms. But why would the military be willing to respect civilian rule? Barany shows that removing politics from the military presents a problem different from extracting the military from politics. The analysis is incisive and subtle, attentive to historical details, and the wealth of historical material has no equal. This is a book for which I have been waiting a long time."--Adam Przeworski, New York University
"A remarkable book--theoretically circumspect and empirically ambitious, and a very important contribution to the field. Barany applies insights from existing theory to an exceptionally diverse range of post-World War II cases. This will be the new standard reference for anyone interested in how military institutions can be coaxed to fit under democratic rule."--Peter Feaver, Duke University
"Destined to become the standard book on civil-military relations and a key work in democratization studies, The Soldier and the Changing State shows what makes democracy work. Barany takes a bold stance by saying that without solving the civil-military problem in new democracies, it is virtually impossible to solve any other issues. This is the most important book written on this subject in forty years."--Thomas Nichols, United States Naval War College