The Contested State: American Foreign Policy and Regime Change in the Philippines

From a scholar's first-hand account of the fall of Marcos comes The Contested State, an inquiry into the international causes and consequences of civil war, the different types of regimes that emerge from such conflict, and the implications for American foreign policy. Tracing the battle for control of the Philippines back to the Spanish era, The Contested State presents a historical, transnational picture of regime change, offering insights into the broader transnational issues that are increasingly important in an ever more globalized world.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 The Sword and the Cross: Spanish Foundations of U.S. Colonialism Chapter 2 Conquest and Coercion: Early U.S. Colonialism, 1899-1916 Chapter 3 Colonialism Amid Crises: The Road to Independent Democracy, 1917-1946 Chapter 4 The Transition to "One-Man Democracy," 1946-1972 Chapter 5 "Salvaging" Democracy: The Impact of Authoritarian Rule, 1972-1983 Chapter 6 People Power: The Transition from Marcos to Aquino, 1983-1986 Chapter 7 The Contested State: Transnational Sources of Regime Change

About the Author :
Amy Blitz is director of media development for entrepreneurial studies at Harvard Business School.

Review :
The Contested State is the best kind of history book: lucidly written, reads like a thriller, full of surprising (and shocking) revelations about a little-known side of American foreign policy. A real page-turner. A comprehensive historical survey of the Filipinos' struggle to obtain and assert their independence amidst external pressures from Spain and later from the United States. Amy Blitz has done a masterful job of reconstructing nearly a century of struggle by Filipinos to gain independence and build democratic political institutions. Placing its narrative in the historical context of Spanish and American colonial rule, The Contested State presents a gripping and well-documented account of U.S. policy-making during the Reagan administration as officials and congressmen sought to encourage the 'people power' revolution of Cory Aquino that finally consolidated democracy. This is a readable work for both policy makers and academics who would understand the dramatic striving for self-rule of America's only colony.