Stephen Kinzer Libros

During the 1950s, when the Cold War was at its peak, two immensely powerful brothers led the US into a series of foreign adventures whose effects are still shaking the world. In this book, the story of John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles is the story of America. It illuminates and helps explain the modern history of the US and the world.

The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University work to increase knowledge of the cultures, histories, environment, and contemporary affairs of Latin America; foster cooperation and understanding among the people of the Americas; and contribute to democracy, social progress, and sustainable development throughout the hemisphere. Book jacket

BITTER FRUIT explores the methods employed by the USA, particularly through the CIA and its ambassador, to overthrow Guatemala's democratically elected government in 1954. President Jacobo Arbenz was enacting land reforms aimed at alleviating poverty in a country still shackled by an oppressive labor system. Following the defeat of a dictatorship in the 1940s, Guatemala sought to enfranchise its citizens. The "fruit" in the title refers to the United Fruit Company (UFC), a powerful American corporation with significant land and political influence in Guatemala. When Arbenz's government seized uncultivated UFC land and compensated the company based on its tax valuations, it triggered a backlash in Washington. The term "communism" was invoked, leading President Eisenhower to authorize covert operations to replace Arbenz with a military junta. This move contradicted the democratic ideals inspired by FDR. The book is a meticulously researched historical account, featuring a chapter on Edward Bernays, a PR pioneer hired by UFC to sway public opinion against Arbenz. Ironically, shortly after the coup, the US government filed an anti-trust suit against UFC, questioning the motives behind the intervention. A 1998 report revealed that 150,000 people were killed and 50,000 disappeared post-coup, predominantly at the hands of government forces. This poignant narrative highlights the tragic consequences of foreign intervention in Guatemal

The bestselling author of All the Shah's Men and The Brothers tells the astonishing story of the man who oversaw the CIA's secret drug and mind- control experiments of the 1950s and 60s.

Traces the events leading to the 1953 coup in Iran and it's consequences, discussing the covert operations under the joint authority of Eisenhower and Churchill involving prime minister Mossadegh and CIA officer Roosevelt.

The bestselling author of Overthrow offers a new and surprising vision for rebuilding America's strategic partnerships in the Middle East What can the United States do to help realize its dream of a peaceful, democratic Middle East? Stephen Kinzer offers a surprising answer in this paradigm-shifting book. Two countries in the region, he argues, are America's logical partners in the twenty-first century: Turkey and Iran. Besides proposing this new "power triangle," Kinzer also recommends that the United States reshape relations with its two traditional Middle East allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia. This book provides a penetrating, timely critique of America's approach to the world's most volatile region, and offers a startling alternative. Kinzer is a master storyteller with an eye for grand characters and illuminating historical detail. In this book he introduces us to larger-than-life figures, like a Nebraska schoolteacher who became a martyr to democracy in Iran, a Turkish radical who transformed his country and Islam forever, and a colorful parade of princes, politicians, women of the world, spies, oppressors, liberators, and dreamers. Kinzer's provocative new view of the Middle East is the rare book that will richly entertain while moving a vital policy debate beyond the stale alternatives of the last fifty years.

This examination is Kinzer's report on the truth about a nation of contradictions, poised between Europe and Asia, between the glories of its Ottoman past and its hopes for a democratic future. His compelling book shows why Turkey could become "the most audaciously successful nation of the twenty-first century." Index.

Americký historik a novinář Stephen Kinzer ve své poutavé knize líčí život dvou mocných bratrů, Allena a Johna Fostera Dullese, kteří v letech studené války formovali zahraniční politiku USA. Allen Dulles byl šéfem CIA a John Foster Dulles ministrem zahraničí Eisenhowerovy vlády. Ačkoli byli povahově odlišní, tvořili silný tandem, který rozhodoval o osudech milionů lidí, aniž o tom většina Američanů věděla. Vyrůstali v přísné zbožnosti a s misionářským zápalem, snažili se přetvářet svět podle svých představ a v každém, kdo nebyl horlivým spojencem USA, viděli hrozbu. Dullesové byli architekty politiky, která vedla válku proti zemím usilujícím o nezávislost, zejména v třetím světě, kde USA ztrácely vliv. Kinzer popisuje klíčové události, jako puč v Guatemale, svržení íránského premiéra Mosaddeka, intervence v Indonésii a Kongu, a operace proti Kubě. Autor se však nezaměřuje pouze na události, ale zkoumá motivy bratrů, jejich názory a rodinné zázemí, a klade si otázku po příčinách amerického excepcionalismu a intervencionismu. Dullesové nebyli výjimeční jedinci, ale typičtí představitelé americké tradice, a jejich příběh je příběhem Ameriky. Kinzer odhaluje temnou stránku americké historie, která vyvolává kritiku a s níž se Amerika dosud nevyrovnala.

Amerikas angebliche „demokratische Missionen“ gefährden oft die Stabilität der Welt. Die Verbreitung demokratischer Ideen führt häufig zu katastrophalen Ergebnissen. Seit 1893, als amerikanische Plantagenbesitzer mit Unterstützung der US-Regierung die hawaiianische Monarchie stürzten, haben die Vereinigten Staaten dreizehn ausländische Regierungen aus ideologischen, wirtschaftlichen oder politischen Gründen gewaltsam abgesetzt. Geheimdienste, Waffenhändler und gelegentlich auch amerikanische Streitkräfte waren dabei aktiv, um den globalen Einfluss der USA auszubauen. Das schlechte Gewissen der ältesten Republik der Welt spielte dabei stets eine Rolle. Ein Beispiel ist der Irak, wo der amerikanische Präsident versicherte, es gehe um die Beseitigung von Massenvernichtungswaffen und die Förderung demokratischer Werte in einer autoritären Region. Das Wort „Öl“ wurde jedoch nie erwähnt. In vielen Fällen widersprachen die politischen Konsequenzen den Hoffnungen Washingtons auf Demokratie; stattdessen siegte oft der Antiamerikanismus. Der langjährige Reporter der New York Times beleuchtet die skurrilen Umstände der offenen und geheimen Coups d'Etat, sei es in lateinamerikanischen Bananenrepubliken oder im Iran. Dabei zeigt sich, dass die zweifelhafte Kompetenz der CIA oft mit der außenpolitischen Kurzsichtigkeit der Entscheidungsträger im Weißen Haus einherging.