Right Kind of Revolution

E. Latham Michael

Description

"Michael E. Latham has provided a very interesting and useful synthesis of the rise and decline (and eventual reappearance) of modernization theory in the United States, exploring both its intellectual roots and its deep connections to the country's foreign policy."- Michele Alacevich Technology and CultureAfter World War II, a powerful conviction took hold among American intellectuals and policymakers: that the United States could profoundly accelerate and ultimately direct the development of the decolonizing world, serving as a modernizing force around the globe. By accelerating economic growth, promoting agricultural expansion, and encouraging the rise of enlightened elites, they hoped to link development with security, preventing revolutions and rapidly creating liberal, capitalist states. In The Right Kind of Revolution, Michael E. Latham explores the role of modernization and development in U.S. foreign policy from the early Cold War through the present.The modernization project rarely went as its architects anticipated. Nationalist leaders in postcolonial states such as India, Ghana, and Egypt pursued their own independent visions of development. Attempts to promote technological solutions to development problems also created unintended consequences by increasing inequality, damaging the environment, and supporting coercive social policies. In countries such as Guatemala, South Vietnam, and Iran, U.S. officials and policymakers turned to modernization as a means of counterinsurgency and control, ultimately shoring up dictatorial regimes and exacerbating the very revolutionary dangers they wished to resolve. Those failures contributed to a growing challenge to modernization theory in the late 1960s and 1970s.Since the end of the Cold War the faith in modernization as a panacea has reemerged. The idea of a global New Deal, however, has been replaced by a neoliberal emphasis on the power of markets to shape developing nations in benevolent ways. U.S. policymakers have continued to insist that history has a clear, universal direction, but events in Iraq and Afghanistan give the lie to modernization's false hopes and appealing promises.

Sujets

• Histoire
• USA
• United States of America
• Diplomacy
• International relations
• 20th century
• History of the Americas
• États-Unis
• Diplomatie (homonymie)

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801460531
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE RIGHT KIND OF REVOLUTION

THERIGHT KINDOF REVOLUTION Modernization, Development, and U.S. Foreign Policy from the Cold War to the Present

CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS

Michael E. Latham

ITHACA AND LONDON

Copyright © 2011 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2011 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2011

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Latham, Michael E.  The right kind of revolution : modernization, development, and U.S. foreign policy from the Cold War to the present / Michael E. Latham.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 9780801446047 (cloth : alk. paper)  ISBN 9780801477263 (pbk. : alk. paper)  1. United States—Foreign relations—1945–1989. 2. United States—Foreign relations—1989– I. Title.  E840.L38 2011  327.73009'04—dc22 2010029822

Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetablebased, lowVOC inks and acidfree papers that are recycled, totally chlorinefree, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further informa tion, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

Cloth printing Paperback printing

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Jennifer, Maile, and Anya

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction 1.  Setting the Foundations: Imperial Ideals, Global War, and Decolonization 2.  TakeOff: Modernization and Cold War America 3. Nationalist Encounters: Nehru’s India, Nasser’s Egypt, and Nkrumah’s Ghana 4. Technocratic Faith: From Birth Control to the Green Revolution 5. Counterinsurgency and Repression: Guatemala, South Vietnam, and Iran 6.  Modernization under Fire: Alternative Paradigms, Sustainable Development, and the Neoliberal Turn 7.  The Ghosts of Modernization: From Cold War Victory to Afghanistan and Iraq

Bibliography Index

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Acknowledgments

In writing this book I received assistance from many sources, and it is a great pleasure to express my thanks here. At Cornell University Press, Alison Kalett originally suggested this project and guided it through the initial stages. Michael McGandy provided expert advice as I wrote the manuscript, seeing it through to completion. Ange RomeoHall and Marian Rogers played vital roles in the production process. I am grateful to them all. In addition to the intellectual debts acknowledged in the notes, I have bene fited from conversations with many colleagues. Mario del Pero provided me with a chance to present elements of this work at the University of Bologna, and Niu Ke’s invitation allowed me to trade ideas with scholars at Beijing University and the Beijing Forum. Anonymous referees helped me frame the book’s argument and improve its presentation, and Frank Ninkovich gave the entire manuscript a thorough, insightful reading. Part of chapter 5 was previously published inThird World Quarterly27 (2006), and I thank the journal for permission to incorporate that material here. Fordham University provided essential resources as well. A Faculty Fellow ship allowed me to dedicate several months to writing, and my colleagues in the University Library, the History Department, the Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean’s Office, and the Office of Academic Affairs all supported this work. Samanta Brihaspat, Sean Byrnes, Patrick Hege, and Philip Pilmar provided excel lent research assistance. My greatest thanks go to my family. My parents, Nancy and Peter Latham, and my sister, Jules Latham, were sources of encouragement throughout. This book is dedicated with love and gratitude to my wife, Jennifer Briggs Latham, and our daughters, Maile and Anya.

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