Drive to Hegemony, and: Haiti and the Great Powers (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 289 as a trading partner for the other, the growth of the external debt — are summarized and illustrated with tables. Robert E. Looney's essay offers an orthodox view of the debt crisis, arguing that any long-term solution requires the expansion of the private sector and the contraction of the state sector. Still, Looney expresses doubts about the feasibility of the Baker Plan and of debt-for-equity swaps. Edgar Ortiz's essay, reflecting a decidedly nationalist perspective, points up the linkages between debt and trade and argues that the debt crisis should be resolved through a newly created multilateral forum so that trade can benefit . He suggests that "public enterprises might be the best option for promoting growth and trade equilibrium." However, at a time when public corporations in Mexico are being sold off or dismantled because of their inefficiency, this argument seems less than persuasive. Walter E. Greene and Jerry Prock's overview of the Simpson-Rodino Act conveys some of the reasons for the controversy surrounding it. Dale S. Bremmer and Randall G. Kesselring develop a model of restrictions on migration and conclude that "whenever a country imposes an effective immigration quota, aggregate output is reduced." Intriguingly, they argue that "The United States— a country of relative labor scarcity— uses quotas to restrict inflows of labor. Conversely , Mexico— a country of relative capital scarcity—erects numerous barriers to the inflow of capital" and that "the adoption of policies that restrict labor and capital flows result in economic inefficiencies and foregone production. These costs are imposed on both the United States and Mexico." Two of the essays on the subject of energy seem to stray a bit far afield: David L. Hawk's exploration of the U.S. "energy myth" is intriguing and polemical , but does not treat implications for U.S.-Mexican relations. Similarly, Farhad Simyar's essay on OPEC is thought-provoking but only tenuously tied to Mexico. More relevant is Marc Scheinman's study of Mexico's role in the U.S. automotive industry— a salient topic—which reflects the impact of the economic crisis and of Miguel de la Madrid's modernization strategies on that sector. Fatemi's book contains substantive and empirically founded treatments of the more relevant issues in U.S.-Mexican economic relations and in addition has much to offer for those seeking a variety of opinions across the political spectrum. At a time when the bilateral relationship is taking on increasing importance, both volumes make important and heartening contributions to the literature. Drive to Hegemony. By David Healy. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. 320 pp. $27.50/cloth. Haiti and the Great Powers. By Brenda Gayle Plummer. Baton Rouge: University of Louisiana Press, 1988. 367 pp. $30.00/cloth. Reviewed by Nancy Mitchell, Ph.D. candidate, SAIS. Breadth and depth are the magnetic poles of history; only rarely does a historian successfully span both. David Healy, in Drive to Hegemony, has attained 290 SAIS REVIEW breadth; Brenda Plummer, in Haitiana the Great Powers, has attained depth. Healy has written an overview of U.S. policy in the Caribbean in the key decades following the Spanish-American war. Plummer has written a painstaking case study of Haitian foreign policy during the same period. Their styles intersect in subject and contrast in style. In Drive to Hegemony, Healy faced a daunting task— to explain twenty years of U.S. policy toward twelve diverse countries. He restricted himself to less than 300 pages; therefore, he can give only an overview— a romp through the islands. He has enlivened what could have been an account of unrelieved aridity with colorful portraits of the cast of characters (such as Elihu Root, Smedley Butler, and Minor Keith). He pulls together a great variety of material from the diplomatic record, the press, congressional debates, and secondary sources in order to create a collage conveying a sense of U.S. -Caribbean relations . His style is vivid, and his pace is rapid. He has aimed his book at a wide audience: it is concise and entertaining. Healy is a gifted master of ceremonies. So gifted, that he veils the fact that he is not an...