On 7/23/12 7:52 PM, Lakshmi Rhone wrote: > No in the first paragaph you mention Why Nations Fail and declaim that > it ignores colonialism. False. Why would you not even open the book?
Mainly because I didn't want to spend money on a book just to attack. I only do that when the target is particularly juicy (or slimy) like Jared Diamond, the reviewer. I searched for an online book that I did read rather carefully. If these guys are so good on colonialism, why could they write such crap about Argentina? I honestly would say that I know much more about Argentina's underdevelopment than they do. > It includes this "In 1976 the Peronist government, led by Perón’s third > wife Isabel after his death in 1974, fell to a coup under the leadership > of General Jorge Videla. “Once in power, the Army embarked on the > conquest of any lingering resistance to a revolution in government whose > aim was the total dismantlement of the Peronist state” (Rock, 1987, p. > 366). The regime which lasted until the Falklands (Malvinas) War of > 1982-1983 was the most repressive in Argentine history. Some 10,000 > people ‘disappeared’ and many thousands more were imprisoned without > trial, tortured and forced into exile. General Roberto Viola succeeded > Videla in 1981, but was forced from office the same year by General > Leopoldo Galtieri." Their focus is on Argentina's lack of democracy. But they really don't explore the material causes of such weak institutions. I suppose that this is par for the course for non-Marxist social scientists. > Perhaps not tough enough on the British for your liking but they allow > more reality into the room than your traditional mega best seller in > social sciences, found in airport bookstores. Damned with faint praise... _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
