Howard J. Wiarda is the Dean Rusk Professor of International Relations and Founding Head of the Department of International Affairs at the University of Georgia. He is also a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. In the spring of 2011 Professor Wiarda taught in the UGA Washington Semester Program and was in residence at his CSIS and Wilson Center positions.

Preface
Ch. 1 Foundations of Contrast: The United States and Latin America 1
Ch. 2 Origins: Greece, Rome, the Bible, and Medieval Christianity 19
Ch. 3 Medieval Iberia: The Distinct Tradition 50
Ch. 4 Spain and Portugal in America: The Colonial Heritage 76
Ch. 5 Liberalism and the Latin American Independence Movements 112
Ch. 6 Positivism: A Philosophy of Order and Progress 145
Ch. 7 Nationalism 175
Ch. 8 Marxism 212
Ch. 9 Corporatism 246
Ch. 10 The Conflict Society, 1930s-1980s 281
Ch. 11 Transitions to Democracy-or Something Less Than That? 309
Ch. 12 Which Way Latin America? 344
Notes 359
Bibliography 391
Index 411

"An insightful beginning text for anyone interested in Latin America or any of its very different countries."