Review by Choice Review
A handbook about the dilemmas of US relations with friendly tyrannical governments, derived from a 500-page study by the Foreign Policy Research Institute of Philadelphia. It offers maxims, precepts, and pocket chronologies, organizing the maxims under self-evident headings such as "Beware Dependence," "Promote Democracy," "Know the Country," "Hedge Bets," and "Plan for Crises." Parts of the book have a Cold War flavor: the pressures of containment led to an indiscriminate quest for allies. In the 1990s, policymakers turn to friendly tyrants in a different context; a host of discriminations are required that separate good tyrants from bad, short-term from long-term benefits, risks and advantages, and conditional versus unconditional support. The book, full of "do's" and "don'ts," argues for being both idealistic and realistic. Achieving democratic regimes should be the ultimate goal for "friendly tyrants," but not all succeed. The book comes closer to providing recipes for diplomats than a coherent theory of foreign policy. Case studies include: Marcos, the Greek junta, Rhee, Diem, Mobutu, Suharto, and the Shah of Iran. Useful, but probably not a book for the ages. All levels. K. W. Thompson; University of Virginia
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
