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BOOK REVIEWS 201 escalation. The role of Bismarck in the crisis is ignored, as is the value of the League of Three Emperors in strengthening the Russian bargaining position. Finally, and most grievously, the context ofthe dispute within the broader scheme of Russo-British relations is ignored. The fact that neither side wanted war over Afghanistan when conflict over the Turkish straits was looming is not mentioned, nor is the Russian fear of pushing Britain into a new Crimean coalition in the case of a Balkan conflict. When Huth discusses the advantages of tit-for-tat military escalations to offset local military imbalances, he crosses the line between extended and direct deterrence. According to deterrence theory, when a country begins to deploy troops in its protege country, an attack on the protege is also an attack on its protector. For example, with nearly 300,000 American troops in Europe, a Soviet attack in Europe would be considered an attack on the United States, according to deterrence theory. It is an effective form of deterrence, but it is not extended deterrence. Yet, Huth seems to conclude that for extended deterrence to succeed, it must be made into direct deterrence. The inadequacy of counselling a firm-but-flexible diplomatic posture is equally ungratifying intellectually . It is only in retrospect that one can decide if a posture is really firm-but-flexible or not. Perhaps the most interesting conclusion one can draw from Huth's study is that the problems associated with extended deterrence are more difficult than we often believe. If this had been Huth's goal, the book would be a success. But, as a description of past cases of extended deterrence, or as a guide to analyze future cases, Extended Deterrence and the Prevention of War leaves much to be desired. Puerto Rico's Statehood Movement. By Edgardo Meléndez. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988. 208 pp. $S7.95/cloth. Reviewed by Brian McFeeters, M.A. Candidate, SAIS. Despite occasional flurries of activity, the issue of Puerto Rico's political status has long lain dormant. The island has not caused enough trouble to merit sustained attention from the U.S. government. Lately, however, there are signs that Congress is getting serious about finally settling the Puerto Rican question. The federal government's growing obligations to Puerto Rico— to the tune of about $6 billion each year— is one concern. Embarrassment over the island's protracted colonial status is another. The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, with jurisdiction over all U.S. territories, opened hearings in mid-1989 aimed at allowing Puerto Ricans to determine their political future. According to one bill before Congress, Puerto Rican voters will choose between three options in a 1991 plebiscite: statehood, enhanced Commonwealdi, or independence. In light of this renewed interest, the aiming of Edgardo Meléndez's book about Puerto Rico's statehood movement is apt. For the reader seeking a basic understanding of Puerto Rican politics, however, his history of the movement focuses primarily on political maneuvering rather than on fundamental issues. He 202 SAIS REVIEW mentions public reaction to political platforms only in passing, as if all meaningful debate involved only a handful of party leaders. Important events, such as the 1952 creation of the Commonwealth and a 1967 plebiscite similar to the one scheduled for 1991 are barely discussed. In one passage, Meléndez writes, "The results of a Congress-appointed Status Commission led to the celebration of a plebiscite on the status of Puerto Rico in 1967," in which "Commonwealth status won by a majority of votes." The reader is left wondering about the details (60% for Commonwealth, 39% for statehood, and 1% for independence). Such shortcomings make this book difficult reading for those not well-versed in Puerto Rican politics. Even so, Meléndez's insights into the convoluted history of the statehood movement are worth pursuing. The book effectively evokes an atmosphere of smoke-filled rooms, where politicians forge new alliances and betray old allies, and where political parties dissolve only to resurface under different initials. Meléndez offers penetrating discussion regarding Puerto Rico's overall political and economic condition, and he highlights a fascinating inversion...

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