Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Fernandez (Central Connecticut State Univ.) truly cruises the Caribbean, taking the reader on a long and wandering journey across the region with an eye toward explaining modern US policy in the area. Rationale for US presence has been based on the Monroe Doctrine (the Caribbean as a US lake) and the inherent legitimacy of "good colonialism" to develop and stabilize the region. Drawing heavily on the US Congressional Record and memos from government and military officials over distinct historical periods of the 20th century, Fernandez painstakingly pieces together evidence that behind the scenes US policy has always been driven by a blatant self-interest in expanding its economic and political hegemony. Efforts to mask this have produced public politics that are inconsistent and unconstructive even to the present. His description of how the US used WW I security issues to extend permanent control over the region and its people is consistent with Cary Fraser's account of US actions during WW II (Ambivalent Anti-Colonialism, CH, Oct'94). The work provides a thorough, if somewhat lengthy, history of US-Caribbean relations that reads well for a general audience. Recommended also for upper-division undergraduates and above. B. Bullock Randolph-Macon Woman's College