Violent Neighbors

By Tom Buckley

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812910354
• ISBN13: 9780812910353
• Release Date: April 1984
• Publisher: Crown
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Politics and death in Central America in the 1980s.

This book was written in 1984 with a slightly liberal slant. However it provides the reader with a good overview history of the region and why the countries were mirrored in violence. The focus of the book was on El Salvador and the struggle with the radical left and right by Duarte's Christian Democrats. This region was certainly a violent one during this time. Buckley also does a good job of providing the reader with a summary history of each country from the start of their independence. The one thing which I had a problem with is the author's liberal bent and how he labeled Reagan's actions not smart. I think Reagan's tough position made the radicals more willing to concede things (like elections in Nicaragua) in the long run. So Reagan and subsequent administrations can claim this region as a success story in the Cold War. This goes against what the author thought would happen. That said, this is a nice book to read on this interesting region. Before visiting the region in the 1990s, I read this book and thought the insights were good for the most part. This is the second time I read this book, and it still provides good info on the region.