"Full of astounding detail drawn heavily from interviews with participants, this book reveals how the principals of Argentina's dirty war organized and funded the early anti-Sandinista struggle from the remnants of the Nicaraguan National Guard. Anyone interested in counterintelligence, counterrevolution, low intensity conflict, Argentina or Nicaragua should read this remarkable book." "Armony breaks new ground as he recounts the transfer of Argentine techniques of state terrorism to Central America in the 1970s and early 1980s and sheds light on eventual Reagan Administration complicity in that phenomenon. An important contribution." "This book not only documents Argentina's involvement in Central America and the U.S. role in stimulating it, but also provides a unique opportunity for policymakers and others to understand the perils of using strategies which ultimately threaten international peace and stability." "[Armony's] account of the regionalization of counterrevolution and repression is a major addition to the historical record of the most controversial covert war of the 20th century." "Ariel Armony addresses a major question in U.S.-Latin American relations: is it possible to promote democracy by anti-democratic means? Anyone seriously interested in this topic will find an answer in Armony's ground-breaking study."
