Thank God They're on Our Side: The United States and Right-Wing Dictatorships, 1921-1965

by David F. Schmitz

Despite its avowed commitment to liberalism and democracy internationally, the United States has frequently chosen to back repressive or authoritarian regimes in parts of the world. In this comprehensive examination of American support of right-wing dictatorships, David Schmitz challenges the contention that the democratic impulse has consistently motivated U.S. foreign policy.
Compelled by a persistent concern for order and influenced by a paternalistic racism that characterized non-Western peoples as vulnerable to radical ideas, U.S. policymakers viewed authoritarian regimes as the only vehicles for maintaining political stability and encouraging economic growth in nations such as Nicaragua and Iran, Schmitz argues. Expediency overcame ideology, he says, and the United States gained useful--albeit brutal and corrupt--allies who supported American policies and provided a favorable atmosphere for U.S. trade.
But such policy was not without its critics and did not remain static, Schmitz notes. Instead, its influence waxed and waned over the course of five decades, until the U.S. interventions in Vietnam marked its culmination.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, American History, United States

400 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

About the author

David F. Schmitz holds the Robert Allen Skotheim Chair of History at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.

Reviews

[Reza Amiri Praramadhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supports for right-wing dictatorships had been the cornerstone of America’s foreign policy. Armed with paternalistic beliefs that many people around the world were incapable of having a genuine democracy, US propped many “banana republic” dictatorships, especially in Central and Latin America, in name of stability, defense of US interests, and persistent belief that right-wing dictatorships were just transitional phase towards real democracy. After dangerous flirting with fascist Italy, the end of World War II and the emergence of Cold War brought new justification for US policy: the need to fight communism around the world. President Kennedy tried to steer away US from this unsavory policy by emphasizing peaceful transition towards democracy in Latin and Southern America’s countries by way of Alliance for Progress, a program which was viewed as futile and ended quickly after Kennedy’s death. The continual incompetence of South Vietnam’s right-wing successive governments, showed the cracks in US supports for right-wing dictators, which culminated in President Carter’s commitment to Human Rights in foreign policy considerations. However, Reagan scrapped it and returned to the usual policy. After all, the book is very informative in showing America’s rationale in supporting right-wing dictators, pointing out that promotion of democracy was never the priority of America’s foreign policy, it was placed in priority lower than safeguarding american economic interests, stability, and the need to contain and fight communism.

[Jon Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While informative and at times eye-opening, this book lacks a strong thesis throughout, diminishing the power of its analysis. A thesis that emerges towards the end - namely, that the virulent anti-soviet policies of the 1920s state department set the tone for american foreign policy for the next forty years - is interesting and provocative, but it isn't fully developed enough. That said, the book is thoroughgoing in examining the phenomenon of right-wing dictatorships, and would definitely be of interest to those concerned with diplomatic history.

[Christian Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative. Shows nothing has changed.