In the Name of Democracy: U.S. Policy Toward Latin America in the Reagan Years by Thomas Carothers, 1991, University of California Press, 309 pp., $30 (cloth). Carothers evaluates the Reagan Administration's policy toward Latin America. A State Department lawyer during the Reagan era, Carothers does not question the larger assumptions underpinning U.S. foreign policy in the hemisphere, such as the right of the United States to intervene or to prop up military forces. Rather, he considers whether Rea-gan's purported goal of furthering democracy in Latin America could, on its own terms, be called a success. Not surprisingly, even within these limited parameters, Reagan's Latin American policy is found wanting. Where democratic resurgence occurred, Carothers points to internal factors as more important catalysts. In countries where abuses continued, Carothers argues that the Reagan Administration often had a part in perpetuating them. Children Of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America by Tina Rosenberg, William Morrow & Co., 1991, 396 pp., $25 (cloth). One's first reaction is to bridle at the implicit theme of this book-that political violence is somehow rooted in the Latin American collective temperament. By the end of the first chapter on the murder of a conscientious Colom-bian judge, though, the reader knows s/he is reading real history. The writing is so graceful, the stories so compelling, and many of the insights so acute (not that there's nothing to take exception to), that one finally forgives the over-simplistic packaging of this book. The MaquiladoraRevolution in Gua-temala by Kurt Peterson, Occasional Paper Series, 2, Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School, 1992, 244 pp., $6.95 plus $2.50 shipping (paper). Peterson incisively rebuts those who argue that Guatemala's burgeoning maquiladora industry is a necessary and lucrative stage in the country's industrial development. This well-documented study catalogues the pervasive abuse of labor rights in the industry, and presents a convincing body of evidence which suggests that the Guatemalan government is conspiring to suppress unionization in the maquila sector. Peterson points out the irony that while U.S.AID was a central player in cultivating themaquilaindustry, by and large Korean, not U.S. business has taken the bait. One of the book's particular strengths is its analysis of the Korean model of development, and discussion of why Guatemala cannot follow in Korea's footsteps and become a new "Asian tiger." The Devil's Dream video by Mary-Ellen Davis, 1992, color, 58 mins, $350 (sale), $95 (rental), Cinema Guild. Davis chillingly counterpoints images of the symbolic traditional "Dance of the 24 Devils" with the stark realities of Maya life in Guatemala today. Hereto Stay: YoungImmigrants from El Salvador, a video by Cintia Cabib (8601 Buckhannon Dr., Potomac, MD 20854), 1990, 29 min., individuals and non-profits: $35 (sale), $20 (rental); schools and libraries: $125 (sale), $60 (rental). This staid, but sympathetic portrait of young Salvadorans in the United Statesis ausefulresourceforcourseson immigration orurban studies. It might be especially valuable for social workers who serve the Salvadoran community. Is There Transition to Democracy in El Salvador? edited by Joseph S. Tulchin with Gary Bland, Lynne Rein-ner Publishers, 1992, 213 pp., $9.95 (paper). This selection of articles is the outcome of an April, 1991 conference convened by the Latin American Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Contributors include key players such as Bernard Aronson and Alvaro de Soto. as well as U.S. academics and journalists from all parts of the political spectrum. Because the articles were written prior to the signing of the peace accords, the analysis is inevitably somewhat dated. Nonetheless many of the issues raised-among them, the fairness of future elections, a weak judiciary, and the need for military reform--still have resonance today as the Salva-doran peace process moves joltingly forward. A Faustian Bargain: U.S. Intervention in the Nicaraguan Elections and American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold WarEra, by Williaml. Robinson, Westview Press, 310 pp., 1992, $16.95 (paper). Robinson, a research associate at the Center for International Studies in Ma-nagua, painstakingly details the sweeping intervention of the U.S. government in the 1990 Nicaraguan elections. The CIA, the State Department, the NED and private U.S.-based organizations all worked tirelessly to tip the scales in favor of the anti-Sandinista opposition. Their efforts included unifying and organizing the political parties, and creating a "civic opposition front" comprised of media, trade unions, youth and women. In the context of the continued Contra threat and the U.S. trade embargo, Robinson argues, Nicaraguans went to the voting booth with a "gun placed at their heads." America Latina, hoy, edited by Pablo Gonzdlez Casanova, Editorial de la Universidad de las Naciones Unidas, 1990, 312 pp. This collection of articles, compiled by the Latin American and Caribbean Perspectives Research Project (PAL) of the United Nations University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, was promptedby the need to revise and discuss the region's future in the wake of the economic crisis of thel980s. The authors trace the historical roots of the continental "lost decade" of the 1980s and discuss the situation through 1987. Recent events in Haiti, Nicara-gua, Venezuela and Peru-and the collapse of Soviet socialism-might have altered the analysis, but the volume remains a valuable attempt to come to grips with the crisis from which the region has yet to escape. Brazilian Dreams: Visiting Points of Resistance, a video by Caitlin Manning with Chris Carlsson (1243 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110), 1991, 54 mins., $50 (sale). In less than an hour, Caitlin Manning takes us on a fascinating tour of Brazil. Combining travelogue with political reporting, this video offers insight into the many realms of political struggle in this vast country.
