Broken Promises?

Reviews / Votes

This book represents the first comprehensive account of Argentina's grave 2001 crisis. Epstein and Pion-Berlin have brought together an impressive group of scholars to provide a path-breaking analysis of the origins and dynamics of the crisis, as well as the survival of Argentina's democracy. This book should be read by anyone seeking an authoritative analysis of the behavior of social actors as they respond to political and economic crises. In addition, the insights that this book provides into the role of the police and the military in the face of social protest in a democracy in crisis are exceptional. -- Harold A. Trinkunas, Naval Postgraduate School Broken Promises? is a timely inquiry into every dimension of the Argentine crisis and its aftermath. Written by known scholars and close observers of the Argentine economy, politics, and society, this book should find its way into both undergraduate and graduate classrooms. -- Maria Lorena Cook, Cornell University Edward Epstein and David Pion-Berlin's Broken Promises is a wide-ranging exploration of the forces, policies and organizational actors involved in the profound economic and political crisis that rocked Argentine politics in 2001-2002 and beyond. With contributions from noted Argentine and U.S. scholars, the book encompasses perspectives ranging from philosophical ponderings on neoliberalism and questions of representation, to serious analyses of how Argentina's economic policy went astray, and very detailed, in-depth studies of key players from Argentine society and state, as well as from the international community. The overall composite provides not only many of the pieces necessary to understand the causes, evolution, and aftermath of the crisis itself, but also to understand the Argentina that is emerging from that crisis. This will be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of contemporary Argentine democracy. -- Deborah Norden, Whittier College