Rabab ElMahdiDespite civil oversight of the military system being one of the cornerstones of democratic states, it does not spontaneously come about in transitional phases. In some cases, the military hands over the presidency but retains control of the various official and unofficial positions within the political sphere.  According to the classic definition, one could say that there is civil oversight, when a military is in control of its internal structures and activities but answerable to a civil institution. Here, one draws a distinction between “institutional independence” and “political independence”. Institutional independence is when the military is an independent entity…