I read Kinzer’s All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror a few years ago, and really enjoyed it.
For this book, an account of the last 100 years or so of our American regime changing tendencies, the subject matter, while incredibly discouraging, was a lot better than the actual writing. His thesis is that we Americans do this sort of thing a lot, and this behavior is pretty much uniformly disastrous. (news flash)
I guess I knew this about US foreign policy since the Dulles brothers amped things up in the 50s, but I hadn’t really internalized that it goes back another 50 years prior, at least, to Hawaii and maybe before.
Anyway, discouraging. Important history to know, but you’d think we’d figure this out sooner or later.
John's Blog 
I’am 3/4 way through “Overthrow” when Lo & Behold I go to the mailbox and get my Aug 4, 2008 NEWSWEEK. Got to page 27 and saw this article,”A 16 Billion Problem.”Chevron hires lobbyists to squeeze Ecuador in toxic-dumping case. In the Article it states Chevron’s powerhouse team includes former Sen. Trent Lott,former Sen. John Breaux and Wayne Berman, top fund-raiser for John McCain. A Sr. Chevron Exec has already met with Sec. of State John Negroponte regarding the dumping fine matter. The company says a loss could set a “dangerous precedent” for other US multi-nationals. “The ultimate issue here is, Ecuador has mis-treated a US company.” Does this sound familiar? A Chevron lobbyist who asked not to be identified talking about the firm’s arguments to US officials said, ” We can’t let little countries screw around with big companies like this—companies that have made big investments around the world. Interesting he didn’t mention the “Big Profits.”It’s 2008 and NOTHING has changed regarding the US policy of stepping in and stepping on smaller countries when it comes to protecting big business on foreign soil.
I’am 3/4 way through “Overthrow” when Lo & Behold I go to the mailbox and get my Aug 4, 2008 NEWSWEEK. Got to page 27 and saw this article,”A 16 Billion Problem.”
Chevron hires lobbyists to squeeze Ecuador in toxic-dumping case. In the Article it states Chevron’s powerhouse team includes former Sen. Trent Lott,former Sen. John Breaux and Wayne Berman, top fund-raiser for John McCain. A Sr. Chevron Exec has already met with Sec. of State John Negroponte regarding the dumping fine matter. The company says a loss could set a “dangerous precedent” for other US multi-nationals. “The ultimate issue here is, Ecuador has mis-treated a US company.” Does this sound familiar? A Chevron lobbyist who asked not to be identified talking about the firm’s arguments to US officials said, ” We can’t let little countries screw around with big companies like this—companies that have made big investments around the world. Interesting he didn’t mention the “Big Profits.”
It’s 2008 and NOTHING has changed regarding the US policy of stepping in and stepping on smaller countries when it comes to protecting big business on foreign soil.