This chapter analyses the history, the most important aspects of civil–military relations in Latin America, the current situation in this area, and the perspectives. It also highlights the importance of: the historical background, certain external actors, and the wider international environment. The international circumstances and contexts examined include matters such as the Cold War, the attacks of September 11, 2001, the subsequent War on Terror, the two Gulf Wars, and the emergence of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The chapter also highlights the importance of civil–military relations in any part of the world, but especially in Latin America, in terms of the establishment and consolidation of the democratic system. This also emphasizing that all Latin American countries must be considered to be still in transition, albeit to very different degrees and situations, towards the full realization of the democratic system. The chapter highlights that the pattern of civil-military relations in the countries of Latin America is one of the fundamental reasons why they have not achieved full development and consolidation of the democratic system despite the time that has passed since they gained their independence. It was highlighted in this regard that Latin America was characterized for many years by a pattern of political instability resulting from military coups d’état, and that although, in recent years, the frequency of such events has decreased, they have not disappeared entirely. It is also pointed out that in several Latin American countries, the Armed Forces are influential political actors, and that the inclination of the Armed Forces toward engagement in politics is present in the region, and also that there is, in many of these countries, a significant degree of autonomy of the Armed Forces with respect to political power—albeit with exceptions such as Argentina, Chile, and, to a lesser extent, Uruguay. The Armed Forces of various Latin American countries are also characterized by the breadth of their missions, which include not only defense but, to varying degrees, internal security, and a set of activities classified as “participation in development.” In terms of civil–military relations, it is a fundamental objective that the democratically elected authorities and their appointees exercise “civilian control” or “political leadership of defense,” which implies not only avoiding interference by the Armed Forces in the country’s political issues, but also, and fundamentally, that such authorities be the ones who make the decisions in defense, and that their decisions are complied with by all persons linked to defense, including the Armed Forces. This must also presuppose the suitability of those who make the decisions, which includes receiving and taking advantage of military advice and knowledge, and also having adequate civil advice, assuming full responsibility for the decisions. Regarding the historical aspects, the emergence of political–military caudillismo in many Latin American countries following the achievement of independence was highlighted, with the consequent relevance of the Armed Forces, the military search for a leading role in the modernization of certain countries, and the rupture in various cases of institutional continuity in the global economic crises.' The Cold War, the American concern for the expansion of communist ideology and the granting to the Latin American Armed Forces of the mission of fighting communism in their respective countries, led to the establishment of military governments in every country in the region, with the exceptions of Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico—where military influence grew significantly anyway—and Costa Rica, which lacked its own Armed Forces. This operated in combination with the validity of the national security doctrines, which extended military competence and interference to virtually the entire political sphere in these countries, and the counterinsurgency doctrines, which focused the actions of the Armed Forces on internal security. Following the Cold War, the re-democratization of Latin America took place almost simultaneously with varying degrees of US support, but with very different levels both of civilian control and of validity with regard to the workings of the democratic system. Therefore, the challenge of fully achieving political leadership of defense and the full validity of the democratic system continues to be valid in Latin America.