Masters of War: Latin America and U.S. Agression From the Cuban Revolution Through the Clinton Years

by Clara Nieto, Howard Zinn (Foreword), Chris Brandt (Translator)

In Masters of War, Clara Nieto adeptly presents the parallel histories of the countries of Latin America, histories that are intertwined, each reflecting the United States’ "coherent policy of intervention" set into motion by the Monroe Doctrine. As the value of this continued policy comes increasingly into question, Nieto argues for the need to evaluate the alarming precedent set in Latin the institution of client dictatorships, the roles played by the interests of U.S. corporations, the enormous tolls taken on civilian populations, and the irreversible disruption of regional stability.
Drawing from an impressive array of documents and sources as well as from her unique first-hand insights as a participant in crucial meetings and negotiations in the region from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, Nieto chronicles the Cuban Revolution, the CIA-sponsored coup against popularly elected President Allende in Chile, the U.S. invasions of Panama and Grenada, U.S. support for the cultivation and training of paramilitary death squads in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Colombia, as well as similarly severe but less well-known situations in other countries such as Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Honduras, and Guatemala.
Masters of War offers, from an informed perspective, perhaps for the first time, a distanced, objective analysis of recent Latin American history. Clara Nieto’s depth of knowledge and understanding is an invaluable resource at a time when the media is seen as unapologetically aligned with the interests of major corporations and policymakers, and the American public has reached a new height of apprehension regarding the intentions behind and consequences of its government’s policies.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics

640 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Attela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lunghissimo, a volte un po' superficiale, spesso candidamente fazioso. Ma si perdonano molte cose a questo splendido saggio sull'imperialismo degli Stati Uniti in America centrale e latina, perché non nasconde il difficile percorso che gli stati di quel continente si sono trovati ad affrontare dagli anni '60 in avanti, combattendo oltre che con i nemici interni (dittature, povertà, criminalità) anche con le strategie e le politiche interventiste portate avanti dagli USA nel nome della cosiddetta democrazia. Il saggio termina nei primi anni 2000 con una domanda e un timore, ma noi sappiamo cos'è successo poco dopo in Afghanistan e in Iraq e cosa gli USA hanno fatto nel nome di quella stessa democrazia, e sappiamo che quel timore si è avverato. Consigliato.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to see the United States from Latin American eyes. There is clearly a bias as the author's intent is to paint the U.S. as an evil empire and that bias comes out very clearly in the writing. However, it's important to understand U.S. foreign policy from the point of view of our allies and closest neighbors. That point would be where I deducted a star.

The book is well written and well organized and covers a lot of countries in Latin America. I used it many times in college as a resource when working on research projects regarding Latin American revolutions, insurgencies and the U.S. response. It provides a different point of view of the many books on these topics written from a U.S. perspective and is important to seeing more of the big picture.

[Jameel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book is really good. Its rather long, and I didnt read the whole thing (yet). It doesnt shy away from pointing out US agression in South America