Doug Stokes - America's Other War, Książki USA
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Critical praise for this book
‘Colombia is the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the hemisphere. The
sources are deeply rooted in Colombia’s own history, and in policies of
the hegemonic power that are no less deeply rooted in its own history and
institutions. This study provides a uniquely perceptive analysis of the tragic
interaction, and its far-reaching implications for understanding the past and
the evolving global order.’ –
Noam Chomsky
‘US administrations keep finding new excuses for intervening in Latin
American affairs. Colombia is the most blatant example, as Doug Stokes’
trenchant account of the US’s shifting agenda – from Cold War, to guer-
rillas, then the drug trade, and now the “war on terror” – so forcefully
shows. Whether called imperialism or technical assistance, the consistent
result is state terror and human suffering on a vast scale.’ –
James Petras,
Professor of Sociology (retired), Binghamton University, New York
‘The two great turning-points of the last few years have been, or so we’ve
been told, the end of the Cold War and 9/11. Not so, argues Doug Stokes,
in this most challenging of volumes. Now, as before, the United States pur-
sues the same hegemonic project simply using different cover stories – first
communism, then drugs and now terrorism – to justify intervention in
Colombia. For those looking for reassurance, this is not the book; for those
seeking to peel back the layers of officialese and get to the heart of things,
this is a must read.’ –
Professor Michael Cox, London School of Economics and
Editor of International Politics
‘This is a well-researched and impeccably documented exposé of US dupli-
city and intervention in Colombia. As Doug Stokes shows, Washington’s
rhetoric has changed from containing communism to the war on drugs and
terrorism. But behind it all is the same cynical policy of terror and repres-
sion against the Colombian people, to prevent social change and maintain
control. This book fills a critical gap in the literature on Colombia and on
post-Cold War inter-American relations. It also has wider implications for
International Relations theory and for our understanding of transnational
conflict in this era of globalization.’ –
William I. Robinson, Professor of Socio-
logy, Global and International Studies, and Latin American and Iberian Studies,
University of California–Santa Barbara
‘America’s Other War paints a very disturbing picture. Highlighting contin-
uities in Washington’s strategy that go back to the Cold War and show up
elsewhere in Latin America, Doug Stokes shows that there is depressingly
little “new” about the growing US involvement in Colombia’s conflict.
With very thorough research and a highly readable narrative, America’s
Other War goes beyond the liberal–conservative debate over Plan Colom-
bia, the ‘war on drugs’ and the ‘war on terror’, reminding us of the central
role played by the often brutal pursuit of economic interests.’ –
Adam
Isacson, Director of Programs, Center for International Policy, Washington
About this book
With the end of the Cold War, Colombia has become the third
largest recipient of US military aid in the world, and the largest
by far in Latin America. This aid is said to be for a US-backed
‘war on drugs’. After September 11th US policymakers have
also claimed that Colombia has become the principal focus
of US counter-terrorism efforts in Latin America. This book
overturns these arguments and demonstrates that Washington
has long-supported a pervasive campaign of Colombian state
terror. The ‘wars’ on drugs and ‘terror’ are in fact the latest
pretexts for this policy. US military aid and training for Colom-
bia is designed to maintain the pro-US Colombian state and
continues to destroy threats to US economic interests whilst
preserving strategic access to sources of non-Middle Eastern
oil.
Using extensive declassified documents, this book lifts the
lid on US policy in Latin America both during and after the
Cold War. It demonstrates that the so-called war on drugs and
now the new ‘war on terror’ are actually part of a long-term
Colombian ‘war of state terror’ that predates the end of the
Cold War, with US policy contributing directly to the horrific
human rights situation in Colombia today.
This book is essential reading for students and scholars of
US foreign and security policy, US-–Latin American relations,
International Relations, policy advisers, non-governmental
agencies and the layperson interested in US foreign policy,
human rights and globalization.
About the author
Doug Stokes is a lecturer in International Politics at the
Department of International Politics, University of Wales,
Aberystwyth
America’s other war
Terrorizing Colombia
Z
Zed Books
LONDON · NEW YORK
America’s other war: terrorizing Colombia
was first published by Zed
Books Ltd, 7 Cynthia Street, London
1 9
,
and Room 40,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York,
1010,
in 2005.
www.zedbooks.co.uk
Copyright © Doug Stokes, 2005
The right of Doug Stokes to be identified as the author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act, 1988.
Cover designed by Andrew Corbett
Set in Monotype Dante and Gill Sans Heavy by Ewan Smith, London
Printed and bound in Malta by Gutenberg Press Ltd
Distributed in the
exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, a division
of St Martin’s Press,
, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York,
1010
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
data are available from the Library of Congress.
All rights reserved
1 84277 546 4 cased
1 84277 547 2 limp
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