A Critique of Civil-Military Relations: The Case of Zimbabwe’s Praetorian Military, 1980-2008

Since 1980, civil-military relations in Zimbabwe have been shaped by the dominant presence of a praetorian military that enforces substantial political, social, and economic constraints, thereby undermining the constitutionalism and democratic principles that previously characterised the nation as the ‘African jewel’. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the Zimbabwean military’s involvement in the state was shaped not by the peculiarities of its leaders or personal goals, but by a confluence of ideological, political, and economic objectives. The paper uses a qualitative secondary research methodology to accomplish this objective. Theorising civil-military relations through the lens of Samuel Huntington and the historical analysis of the Zimbabwean praetorian military. This paper contends that a symbiotic relationship, facilitated by various conceptual characteristics of praetorian militaries, existed between the ruling Zimbabwean African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Zimbabwean military. This relationship enabled the military to assert its agency economically and politically while simultaneously reinforcing ZANU-PF’s political dominance through its participation in managing the civil disturbances of the 1980s, the civil war in the Congo, elections, and the governance structures of the state. In conclusion, challenges posed by these relations led to weakened democratic institutions, undermining civil government and more power given to the military. Keywords: Praetorianism, Mugabe, ZANU-PF, Military, Zimbabwe, Civil-Military Relations