Thank God They're on Our Side

The United States and Right-Wing Dictatorships, 1921-1965

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Thank God They're on Our Side by David F. Schmitz, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David F. Schmitz ISBN: 9780807875964
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: September 15, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: David F. Schmitz
ISBN: 9780807875964
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: September 15, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Despite its avowed commitment to liberalism and democracy internationally, the United States has frequently chosen to back repressive or authoritarian regimes in parts of the world. In this comprehensive examination of American support of right-wing dictatorships, David Schmitz challenges the contention that the democratic impulse has consistently motivated U.S. foreign policy.
Compelled by a persistent concern for order and influenced by a paternalistic racism that characterized non-Western peoples as vulnerable to radical ideas, U.S. policymakers viewed authoritarian regimes as the only vehicles for maintaining political stability and encouraging economic growth in nations such as Nicaragua and Iran, Schmitz argues. Expediency overcame ideology, he says, and the United States gained useful--albeit brutal and corrupt--allies who supported American policies and provided a favorable atmosphere for U.S. trade.
But such policy was not without its critics and did not remain static, Schmitz notes. Instead, its influence waxed and waned over the course of five decades, until the U.S. interventions in Vietnam marked its culmination.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Despite its avowed commitment to liberalism and democracy internationally, the United States has frequently chosen to back repressive or authoritarian regimes in parts of the world. In this comprehensive examination of American support of right-wing dictatorships, David Schmitz challenges the contention that the democratic impulse has consistently motivated U.S. foreign policy.
Compelled by a persistent concern for order and influenced by a paternalistic racism that characterized non-Western peoples as vulnerable to radical ideas, U.S. policymakers viewed authoritarian regimes as the only vehicles for maintaining political stability and encouraging economic growth in nations such as Nicaragua and Iran, Schmitz argues. Expediency overcame ideology, he says, and the United States gained useful--albeit brutal and corrupt--allies who supported American policies and provided a favorable atmosphere for U.S. trade.
But such policy was not without its critics and did not remain static, Schmitz notes. Instead, its influence waxed and waned over the course of five decades, until the U.S. interventions in Vietnam marked its culmination.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Immigrant City by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Mastery, Tyranny, and Desire by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Martin Delany, Frederick Douglass, and the Politics of Representative Identity by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Coca-Colonization and the Cold War by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Response to Imperialism by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book The Devil and Commodity Fetishism in South America by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Beyond the Founders by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Hittin' the Prayer Bones by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Whiting Up by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Original Sin and Everyday Protestants by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Reconstructing the Household by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Lincoln's Autocrat by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Cities of the Dead by David F. Schmitz
Cover of the book Jean Rhys and the Novel As Women's Text by David F. Schmitz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy