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Necessary and surplus militarisation: Rethinking civil-military interactions and their consequences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2017

Marcus Schulzke
Marcus Schulzke*
Affiliation:
Lecturer, Department of Politics, University of York
*
*Correspondence to: Marcus Schulzke, Department of Politics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD. Author’s email: marcus.schulzke@york.ac.uk
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Abstract

Recent scholarship on militarisation suggests that Western democracies are threatened by military influence spreading into civilian domains. I contend that this research has identified problematic forms of militarisation, but that more careful attention should be given to different manifestations of this phenomenon. I borrow Herbert Marcuse’s distinction between necessary and surplus repression to show that militarisation can be excusable or excessive, depending on the context and its extent. Militarisation is potentially harmful and should be opposed when it is coercive or promotes militarism. By contrast, militarisation may be necessary if it is beneficial or ineliminable. A degree of militarisation may be desirable insofar as contact between civilians and soldiers promotes the spread of information, ensures that civilians have some influence on the military, and prevents members of the military from feeling detached and resentful. Some militarisation may also be indispensable for guarding against plausible threats or promoting social stability. Thus, militarisation should be treated as a process that has mixed costs and benefits depending on how it is enacted.

Keywords

MilitarisationMilitarismSecurityPopular CultureCivilians
Type
Research Article
Information
European Journal of International Security , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , February 2018 , pp. 94 - 112
Copyright
© British International Studies Association 2017 

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