Offers a narrative history of the role of the U.S. in a series of coups, revolutions, and invasions that toppled fourteen foreign governments, from the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 to the 2003 war in Iraq, and examines the sometimes disastrous long-term repercussions of such operations.
From the author of Poisoner in Chief, Overthrow provides a fast-paced narrative history of the coups, revolutions, and invasions by which the United States has toppled fourteen foreign governments -- not always to its own benefit
"Regime change" did not begin with the administration of George W. Bush, but has been an integral part of U.S. foreign policy for more than one hundred years. Starting with the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 and continuing through the Spanish-American War and the Cold War and into our own time, the United States has not hesitated to overthrow governments that stood in the way of its political and economic goals. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 is the latest, though perhaps not the last, example of the dangers inherent in these operations.
In Overthrow, Stephen Kinzer tells the stories of the audacious politicians, spies, military commanders, and business executives who took it upon themselves to depose monarchs, presidents, and prime ministers. He also shows that the U.S. government has often pursued these operations without understanding the countries involved; as a result, many of them have had disastrous long-term consequences.
In a compelling and provocative history that takes readers to fourteen countries, including Cuba, Iran, South Vietnam, Chile, and Iraq, Kinzer surveys modern American history from a new and often surprising perspective.
"Detailed, passionate and convincing . . . [with] the pace and grip of a good thriller." -- Anatol Lieven, The New York Times Book Review
Inhaltsverzeichnis
PART ONE: THE IMPERIAL ERA
1. A Hell of a Time Up at the Palace
2. Bound for Goo-Goo Land
3. From a Whorehouse to a White House
4. A Break in the History of the World
PART TWO: COVERT ACTION
5. Despotism and Godless Terrorism
6. Get Rid of This Stinker
7. Not the Preferred Way to Commit Suicide
8. We're Going to Smash Him
9. A Graveyard Smell
PART THREE: INVASIONS
10. Our Days of Weakness Are Over
11. You're No Good
12. They Will Have Flies Walking Across Their Eyeballs
13. Thunder Run
14. Catastrophic Success
