Latin American Politics and Development
Author: Howard J. Wiarda, Harvey F. Kline, Howard J. Wiarda
List Price: $40.00
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ISBN: 0813337690
Publisher: Westview Press (01 October, 2000)
Sales Rank: 333,706
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 2 out of 5
Something to bear in mind:
Despite his considerable knowledge on the subject of latin american affairs, one must remember that Mr. Wiarda himself has been involved as a D.C. insider, advising multiple administrations and normally favoring the right-wing, "top-down" style of democracy (read, sub-fascism) that is friendly to U.S. business interests. Consider also how he justifies this approach: while U.S. citizens normally favor a kind of Lockean form of government, by their very culture latin americans are more Rousseau-esque, in that they require a strong Leader to look up to. (Somehow it never occurs to people who are backing fascists that it might be that the Lack of a more open, "lockean" government is what contributes to the instability and insurection that they are trying to crush.) Considering that this is the kind of ideology that has infected U.S. foreign policy towards our southern neighbors for more than one hundred years (see Hunt, "Ideology and US Foreign Policy"), it might actually be a good read, if only to get a better understanding of how such supposedly intelligent and well-meaning people can make and justify such terrible decisions; however, if you want the truth about latin america, look else-where.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Captures Latin America in a nutshell
Wiarda and Kline have done an outstanding job of drawing together comprehensive, compact histories of Latin American countries. Moreover, in their introduction they have encapsulated and explained most of the historical forces that still affect and shape Latin America up to the present day. This book is for anyone, whether casual reader or serious student, who wants to understand Latin America as a whole, or any country in Latin America in particular.
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