Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

No doubt the Iran-Contra affair is destined to produce a veritable cottage industry of analyses, and well it should. As this journalistic account correctly maintains, ``Iranamok'' was more than the diplomatic equivalent of a third-rate burglary or the unfortunate result of a grossly deficient management style. The debacle reflected the fundamental tenets and objectives of Reagan-and to a large extent his predecessors-foreign policies. Moreover, it logically if not inevitably flowed from America's historic relationship with Iran and with the Central American region. Perhaps no recent episode underscores more clearly the inherent tension between democratic governance and covert operations, especially privatized ones. The three authors address these issues, but their dubious source material, oversimplifications, and narrow perspective compromise their arguments. Neither the US nor the veterans of the Bay of Pigs fiasco are solely responsible for Central America's unrest. Internal dynamics are at work. The CIA returned the Shah to the Peacock Throne; it did not place him there initially. And while Israel contributed to the scandal, its role does not appear to warrant two chapters. Above all, to reserve discussion of the underlying conflict between the needs of hegemony and those of an open society to a cursory conclusion is irresponsible. This critical theme requires development. Until this study is superseded by more scholarly assessments, however, it will serve a necessary purpose. All college and university students, general readers and public library patrons.-R.H. Immerman, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Jane Hunter garnered much acclaim in 1984 with the publication of The Gospel of Gentility: American Women Missionaries in Turn-of-the-Century China. Based on the writings of female missionaries, Hunter's book explores the life of these religious women. This fascinating book, which both examines religious practices and depicts women's roles, won the Governors Award from Yale University Press.

Jane Hunter was born on January 31, 1949, in Hanover, N.H. She was educated at Yale University and has taught at Colby College and Radcliffe College.

(Bowker Author Biography)