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This book joins an increasing number of works that attempt to explain the role of the military in postauthoritarian Brazilian politics. In contrast to academics such as Alfred Stepan and Frances Hagopian, whose analyses stress continuity in the Brazilian system, Wendy Hunter argues that the dynamics of democratic politics have eroded the political influence of the military. Hunter's" rational choice" perspective claims that following the return to democracy in I985, a self-interested emphasis on reelection, engendered by the change to electoral politics, has driven Brazilian politicians to disregard the military's legislative wishes. Hence, unpopular attempts by the military to weaken labor rights in the constitution of I988, to garner a larger share of the national budget, and to exert dominance over Amazonian policy have failed.

Developments in postauthoritarian Brazilian politics are described early in this work, but the …