Dominique Rumeau2026-03-222026-03-222012http://rucp.cienciassociales.edu.uy/index.php/rucp/article/download/123/89https://andeanlibrary.org/handle/123456789/70137The nature of the political influence of the militaries over the American Latin countries has changed with the advent of the third wave of democratization. Currently, the political weight of the Armed Forces is located in the formulation processes of public defense policies, particularly in the definition of the military doctrine. This article explains the type of civilian control over the National Army counterterrorist doctrine based on the principal agent theory. Furthermore, beginning with a critic of Feaver’s (1996) theoretical assumptions and the reformulation of his theory, an analytical model based on the principal agent approach is presented which allows analyzing the behavior of the different actors in the public policy-making processes.esDoctrineDemocratizationPrincipal (computer security)Latin AmericansPoliticsPolitical scienceControl (management)LawPublic policyLaw and economicsarticle