America's Other War

'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 guerrillas, 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, or so we've been told, have been the end of the Cold War and 9/11. Not so, argues Doug Stokes in this most challenging of volumes. For those looking for reassurance this is not the book for them: for those however 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 expose of U.S. duplicity and intervention in Colombia. 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 Sociology, Global and International studies, and Latin American and Iberian Studies, University of California-Santa Barbara

'America's Other War paints a very disturbing picture. With very thorough research and a highly readable narrative, Terrorizing Colombia goes beyond the liberal-conservative debate over Plan Colombia, 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

Table of Contents

Table of contents:

1. Introduction: Interpreting US foreign policy in Colombia

2. US objectives in Latin America during the Cold War
Orthodox interpretations of US Cold War foreign policy: East versus West
Revisionist historiography and US Cold War foreign policy: North versus South
What was the US containing in Latin America during the Cold War?
The case of Guatemala
The case of Cuba
The case of Chile
The case of Nicaragua
Soviet policy in Latin America

3. US objectives in Latin America after the Cold War
US foreign and security policy objectives after the Cold War: The discontinuity thesis
US post-Cold War foreign policy: The continuity thesis

4. Installing State Terror in Colombia
US sponsored counterinsurgency in Latin America
US CI strategy and the legitimation of state terrorism
Antecedents to US counterinsurgency in Colombia : La Violencia
US policy, Plan Lazo and paramilitarism
The Colombian peace process and the democratic opening

5. From Communism to the War on Terror
The 'War on Drugs'
From Bush to Clinton: the decertification of Colombia
Clinton's legacy: 'Plan Colombia'
From narco-guerrillas to narco-terrorists: The Andean Regional Initiative and the US's new 'war on terror'

6. Conclusion: Counter-insurgency, Capital and Crude

Select Bibliography
Index

About the Author:

Doug Stokes is a lecturer in International Politics at the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth, University of Wales