Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
It should be no surprise that the United States often takes the "convenient" and "short-term" solution to many problems; this is part of the American character. However, at times Kinzer seems to be on a pulpit, leading the reader by the nose at whom to laud and at whom to hiss. Since this is not written as a historical book, there is also an expectation that the reader will already have a semblance of the "basic facts" from at least Panama and Guatemala forward.
This is perhaps the largest weakness of the book. There are 14 different regime changes that are critically analyzed, yet some clearly fit his argument more than others. In fact, Grenada and Panama seem like different foreign policy goals than Afghanistan and Iraq. On the other hand, one of the strengths of the book is the manner in which Kinzer outlines the "propagandistic" manner in which these "necessary regime changes" were sold to the American public. Witness, for instance, the way Islam and many Arab countries were characterized after 9/11 (Kinzer 266-75).
Kinzer concludes...
Filled with the exuberance and self-confidence of youth, it developed a sense of unlimited possibility. Many Americans came to believe that since they had been so successful in building their country, they not only duplicate that success abroad but were called by Providence to do so. Responding to this call, and to their belief that they are entitled to a large share of the world's resources, they set out to overthrow foreign governments. Most of these adventures have brought them, and the nations whose histories they sought to change, far more pain than liberation" (Kinzer 321). Perhaps the current regime in Washington should remember that there are precedents for actions in one administration to negatively affect the next administration.
Source:
Kinzer, S. Overthrow: America's Century of Revime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. New York: Times Books, 2007.
Kinzer concludes his book with a frightening and powerful observation about the future of American policy: "The United States rose to world power more quickly than almost any nation or empire ever has. Filled with the exuberance and self-confidence of youth, it developed a sense of unlimited possibility. Many Americans came to believe that since they had been so successful in building their country, they not only duplicate that success abroad but were called by Providence to do so. Responding to this call, and to their belief that they are entitled to a large share of the world's resources, they set out to overthrow foreign governments. Most of these adventures have brought them, and the nations whose histories they sought to change, far more pain than liberation" (Kinzer 321). Perhaps the current regime in Washington should remember that there are precedents for actions in one administration to negatively affect the next administration.
Source:
Kinzer, S. Overthrow: America's Century of Revime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. New York: Times Books, 2007.
Since the nation gained independence from Spain it has been ruled by a chain of military dictatorships ("Guatemalan Culture and History"). Guatemala has also run into some territorial disputes with neighboring nations like Belize and in fact land disputes with Belize continue today. More recent political strife included a civil war that lasted 36 years and which took the lives of over 200,000 people ("Country profile: Guatemala"). In the wake
Antigua Guatemala Coffee Antigua Guatemala International (AGI) will be a manufacturer and exporter of Guatemalan coffee to Japan and the global. AGI will use a new system in the food and beverage industry to offer Antigua Guatemala coffee in a time-efficient and convenient way. AGI will provide vendors, retailers, and cafes with the ability to buy freshly brewed Antigua Guatemala coffee. It will be a high quality option to the institutional
Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchu. Specifically, it will contain an interpretive essay regarding the book. Rigoberta Menchu's book is the story of a young girl coming of age in her homeland, and the story of her people, the Indians of Guatemala. It is not a tender story; it is filled with violence and oppression. Rigoberta's story is one of a determined people who will
Inspired by national liberation ideology such as that which led to the Cuban Revolution, the Revolutions in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador share some key features in common. All three of these Central American revolutions were anti-imperialist calls for social justice. They all presented serious challenges to the United States, which enjoyed a hegemonic power throughout the region. American foreign policy depended upon the very regimes the people of Guatemala,
It also talks about multicultural politics and demands throughout Central America. The article discusses the "cultural project" of the indigenous people that is helping their voices be heard. This reading relates to the others because it discusses many issues the other readings take on, such as politics and the indigenous people. This one seems to carry another cynical theme in politics, like the one before. Essentially, it is critical of
" In addition, Manz reports that, "It took more than a decade after the worst of the violence, but eventually the Catholic Church, the United Nations, and the president of the United States rendered a verdict about the horrors suffered by villagers in Santa Mar'a Tzeja and the rest of Guatemala." In fact, the verdict charged Guatemalan authorities with outright genocide, and the author emphasizes that, "No other country in