Publications [#289721] of Hal Brands

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Journal Articles

  1. Brands, H. "Reform, democratization, and counter-insurgency: Evaluating the us experience in cold war-era Latin America." Small Wars and Insurgencies 22.2 (Summer, 2011): 290-321. [doi]
    (last updated on 2018/07/15)

    Abstract:
    Current debate on US counter-insurgency doctrine is dominated by the notion that promoting 'legitimacy' and 'good governance' constitutes a central strategic imperative. This idea is hardly new; during the Cold War US officials often sought to encourage democratization and socio-economic reform as antidotes to revolution in Latin America. This article reviews four such cases - Venezuela during the first half of the 1960s, Guatemala throughout the 1960s, Nicaragua during the late 1970s, and El Salvador during the 1980s. The purpose is to bring a historical perspective to bear on current debates about the feasibility of US counter-insurgency strategy by evaluating the effectiveness of previous campaigns to promote improved governance in developing societies wracked by guerrilla violence. Keywords: Insurgency; governance; Latin America; Cold War; democratization; legitimacy; guerrillas; Alliance for Progress. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.

Hal Brands