Potomac Books

Intimate Ties, Bitter Struggles

Description:

Over the last sixty years, the relationship between the United States and Latin America has been marred by ideological conflict, imbalances of power, and economic disparity. The U.S.-sponsored coup in Guatemala, the near lynching of Vice President Richard Nixon in Venezuela, and the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion are a few reminders of the sometimes dramatic confrontations between North and South. Yet this relationship has also been characterized by accelerating economic and cultural interdependence that is significantly altering the old paradigm of U.S. hegemony and Latin American resistance.

Alan McPherson uses multinational sources to survey and analyze the history of this relationship. Intimate Ties, Bitter Struggles reflects the most up-to-date research on state-to-state interactions and recognizes the influence of culture and non-state actors on international relations. Major topics include the debate over economic dependency, the U.S. response to revolutions in Latin America during the Cold War, military interventions and covert operations, human rights, migration, the North American Free Trade Agreement and economic integration, the Iran-Contra affair, the war on drugs, and Latinos in the United States. The author’s concise narrative and selection of primary–source documents offer an ideal introduction to U.S.–Latin American relations for students and for anyone with an interest in understanding the dynamic interplay between these hemispheric neighbors.

Reviews/Endorsements:

“McPherson offers a concise and up-to-date account, accessibly presented. Students will no doubt find this a valuable introduction.”—The Journal of Cold War Studies, Volume 10, Issue 1

". . . .this book is highly recommended for individuals who have an incomplete background in U.S.–Latin American relations. It is accessible to non-specialists and would be a very good text for an upper-division course. . . .It would also be a good text for graduate students who need a quick background reead on the subject before tackling its complexity."—Political Science Quarterly

"Intimate Ties, Bitter Struggles offers a superb introduction to the major issues in the often turbulent history of U.S. relations with Latin America since the end of World War II. The book is well-organized, well-written, and goes beyond most textbook surveys by probing the ‘inner history’ of inter-American relations and the undervalued intimate ties between the United States and its southern neighbors. It is essential reading for anyone wanting an up-to-date portrait of inter-American relations."—Lester D. Langley, professor emeritus of history, University of Georgia, and author of The Americas in the Modern Age

"Alan McPherson has written a succinct, balanced, and lively history of recent U.S.-Latin American relations that provides an excellent basis for understanding current hemispheric issues and tensions. With its lucid prose and well-selected primary documents, the book should be popular in the classroom and with general readers."—Judith Ewell, Newton Professor of History Emerita, College of William and Mary

"Very highly recommended to all students of foreign relations, ecology, diplomacy, and historical understandings and occurrences between America and its relationship with its southern neighbors."—Midwest Book Review

"Any college-level collection strong in Latin American history will want to include Intimate Ties, Bitter Struggles on their acquisition list."—California Bookwatch

"The unbalanced interdependence of the United States and Latin America is one of the more difficult relationships in today's world, and it is bound to grow even more difficult in the future. Hence, a history of the relationship since its distortion under the impact of the cold war, analyzed by Alan McPherson with admirable clarity and conciseness, is an indispensable guide for understanding where the relationship is heading and why. . . . Recommended as good introductory reading."—Vojtech Mastny, National Security Archive, in History: Review of New Books