The Economic-Dynamics of the Military in Communist Regimes: A Comparison of Cuba, China and Vietnam

• Main Author: Aranda, Michael J.
• Format: Others
• Published: FIU Digital Commons 2010
• Subjects: International and Area Studies
• Online Access: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/296; http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1380&context=etd

The present study focuses on the factors that can increase or decrease military-economic involvement in communist regimes. This anomalous form of military behavior, labeled as the Military Business Complex (MBC), emerged in various communist regimes in the 1980s. However, in the early 2000s, the communist governments of China and Vietnam began to decrease the number of industries managed by their military institutions, while these industries increased in Cuba. This current study asks why the Cuban MBC regime increased in the early 2000s, while the Chinese and Vietnamese ceased or reduced their MBC involvement. Through a comparative analysis of all three military institutions, this study argues that certain evolving elements within the communist-party-military spectrum in Cuba caused it to expand its military managed-economy. By highlighting the different patterns of MBC evolution in communist regimes, this study sheds light on the general phenomenon of how military institutions exert political and economic influence.