In the Shadow of the Generals—Foreign Policy Making in Argentina, Brazil And Chile

Although these three South American or Southern Cone countries have largely completed their transition to democracy, the shadow of their past ruling generals still remains. After tracing the history of the contentious relations between these countries and the US and realist/neorealist theoretical approaches to international relations, Mullins (U. of Limerick, Ireland) examines the issue of whether Argentina and Chile will join Brazil's Mercosur project to resist US domination in a trade bloc alternative to a US-led hemispheric free trade area. As economic motives are increasingly drivers of foreign policy, the resulting realismo periferico (peripheral realism) school of thought encompasses regional autonomy and asymmetric power relations in the region. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)