Intervention in the 1980s : U.S. foreign policy in the Third World /

A wonderful compendium for the general reader interested in US foreign policy in the Third World. The 18 authors (mostly academics) have neatly divided their labors among (1) historical perspectives on the American impulse to interventionism; (2) structural conditions (in domestic, bureaucratic, and international politics); (3) the tools of intervention (aid, sanctions, covert operations, paramilitary and direct military intervention); and (4) a number of cases from the Reagan years (Iran, Philippines, Nicaragua, Grenada, and South Africa) that illustrate the difficulties of projecting American power. Although little emerges that cannot be found elsewhere, editor Schraeder has guided his contributors well, making this an immensely useful reference work for all collections. Up to date, it brings together much of our contemporary knowledge of the Reagan foreign policy and provides useful guidance for the post-Reagan era. Well written and documented. E. M. Dew Fairfield University