Synopses & Reviews
Offering a rare pan-Caribbean perspective on a region that has moved from the very center of the western world to its periphery, The Caribbean journeys through five centuries of economic and social development, emphasizing such topics as the slave-run plantation economy, the changes in political control over the centuries, the impact of the United States, and the effects of Castro's Cuban revolution on the area. The newly revised Second Edition clarifies the notions of "settler" and "exploitation" societies, makes more explicit the characteristics of state formation and the concept of fragmented nationalism, incorporates the results of recent scholarship, expands treatment of the modern period, updates the chronology of events, and adds a number of new tables. Integrating social analysis with political narrative, The Caribbean provides a unique perspective on the problems of nation-building in an area of dense populations, scarce resources, and an explosive political climate.
Synopsis
Analyzing why and how the military exercises political influence in Turkey, this book argues that its role grows out of a specific context and is more a symptom than a cause of the country's flawed democracy. It contends that the military's influence is neither uniform nor total and has
resulted in a system in which civilian authority is primary rather than supreme. It analyzes the mechanisms through which the military attempts to shape policy, and its use of informal authority rather than formal rights or responsibilities to exercise influence. Moreover, it suggests that military
withdrawal from politics will be slow and gradual, dependent more on changes in the context out of which the military's role has grown than in response to external pressure or enticement.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 347-361) and index.