Military and politics in contemporary Brazil: A view from editorials of the written press

This article examines the political role played by the Brazilian armed forces in the context of the recent democratic crisis beginning with the analysis of editorials published between 2015 and 2022 by the newspapers Folha de S. Paulo and O Estado de S. Paulo. The objective is to understand how the dominant press interpreted and communicated to society the renewed political protagonism of the military forces, especially their growing presence in the government, as well as their accumulation of powers and participation in episodes of contestation and political interference. In terms of methodology, the article combines a quantitative and qualitative analysis of 94 editorials selected and organized in relation to a democratic model of civilian-military relations that enabled identifying problematic dynamics commented upon in the newspapers and the actors responsible for them. The results show that in the newspapers conducts contrary to democratic principles are identified, although they tended to attribute responsibility almost exclusively to the then-president Jair Bolsonaro and specific military officers and they evaded problematizing the institutional role of the armed forces. In conclusions, it emphasizes the absence in the press under study of a deeper reflection on the persistence of spaces of military autonomy and on the risks that it represents for Brazilian democracy.

• Autor principal: Vitelli, Marina (author)
• Otros Autores: Bigatão Puig, Juliana (author), Dias de Carvalho, Geremias (author)
• Formato: article
• Lenguaje: spa
• Publicado: 2025
• Materias: autoritarismo presidencial; Brasil; Forças Armadas; política; imprensa; relações cívico-militares; presidential authoritarianism; Brazil; armed forces; politics; press; civilian-military relations; Fuerzas Armadas; prensa; relaciones cívico-militares
• Acceso en línea: https://iconos.flacsoandes.edu.ec/index.php/iconos/article/view/6633