Bolsonaro, the military, and legitimate violence in Brazil

There is a fundamental, yet little acknowledged ideological divide at the heart of Brazil’s new government headed by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. It’s not that the sitting Social Liberal Party (PSL), despite its platform of traditional values, is led by a man who tweets videos of “golden showers.” Nor is it that a government elected on an anti-corruption ticket is already mired in corruption scandals. In Brazil, in 2019, these inconsistencies amount to little more than run-of-the-mill hypocrisy.

Instead, the core contradiction in Jair Bolsonaro’s government concerns who has the legitimate right to kill.

Besides religious conservatives, alt-right oddballs, and his “super ministers” Paulo Guedes (Economy) and Sérgio Moro (Justice), the final and most powerful bloc within Jair Bolsonaro’s government is made up of members of Brazil’s Armed Forces. There are dozens of former or serving military personnel in strategic positions in the government, including Vice President Hamilton Mourão and six cabinet ministers.

Little more than three decades after the return of democracy, this has raised fears that under Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, Brazil may be backsliding into authoritarian rule.

In last October’s election, Mr. Bolsonaro succeeded in converting the angry popular mood in the country into a democratic mandate in a way the military could not have achieved on its own. Meanwhile, his commitment to respecting democratic institutions is highly questionable. During his 28 years as a congressman, the former army captain made a name for himself by openly praising the military dictatorship.

Senior military figures also appeared to threaten democracy. In a tweet last April, then-Army Commander General Villas Bôas seemed to imply that the army would not tolerate a victory by former President Lula in the upcoming election, while soon-to-be vice president General Hamilton Mourão openly pontificated over the need for Mr. Bolsonaro’s government, once elected, to carry out a “self-coup.” For many, Mr. Bolsonaro began to look like a dictator-in-waiting, with the full backing of the armed forces.

However, this narrative...