National Security Doctrine

A Cold War doctrine, influential in parts of Latin America, that cast internal political opposition as a national security threat and justified military intervention in politics.

Internal enemy: A population or political group treated by a state as a threat within its own borders. The doctrine recast domestic opponents as enemies rather than legitimate political actors.
Cold War: The geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies from 1947 to 1991. Anti-communism during this rivalry gave the doctrine its strategic rationale.
Brazilian military government: The authoritarian regime that governed Brazil from the 1964 coup until the restoration of civilian rule in 1985. Brazil’s regime institutionalized national-security language and influenced its regional spread.
Forced disappearance: The state-backed abduction or detention of a person followed by denial or concealment of their fate or whereabouts. Security forces used disappearance to remove opponents while obstructing accountability.
Counterinsurgency: Military, political, and social measures intended to defeat an insurgency and its support networks. The doctrine adapted counterinsurgency methods to suppress domestic opposition, including groups without armed campaigns.
French counterinsurgency in Algeria: French military practices developed during the Algerian War, including intelligence gathering, coercive interrogation, and population control. These practices influenced Latin American military thinking about internal enemies and subversion.
Argentine military dictatorship: The military regime that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983 and conducted a campaign of forced disappearance. Its self-described war against subversion exemplified the doctrine’s treatment of dissent as a security threat.
Torture in Latin America: The use of torture by state agents in Latin American political repression, especially during military dictatorships. Interrogation and intimidation served the doctrine’s effort to identify and dismantle supposed subversion.
National security state: A state whose institutions and policies are organized around security agencies and the management of perceived threats. Military and intelligence institutions gained authority by defining internal threats through this doctrine.
Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance: A 1947 treaty establishing collective defense among American states against armed attack. Its hemispheric security framework formed part of the institutional setting in which the doctrine spread.

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