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Overthrow

America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

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Overthrow

Written by: Stephen Kinzer
Narrated by: Michael Prichard
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About this listen

 A fast-paced narrative history of the coups, revolutions, and invasions by which the United States has toppled 14 foreign governments, not always to its own benefit.

"Regime change" did not begin with the administration of George W. Bush, but has been an integral part of U.S. foreign policy for more than one hundred years. Starting with the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 and continuing through the Spanish-American War and the Cold War and into our own time, the United States has not hesitated to overthrow governments that stood in the way of its political and economic goals. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 is the latest, though perhaps not the last, example of the dangers inherent in these operations.

In Overthrow, Stephen Kinzer tells the stories of the audacious politicians, spies, military commanders, and business executives who took it upon themselves to depose monarchs, presidents, and prime ministers. He also shows that the U.S. government has often pursued these operations without understanding the countries involved; as a result, many of them have had disastrous long-term consequences.

©2006 Stephen Kinzer (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc. Americas International Relations Military Political Science Politics & Government United States War Middle East Iran Imperialism Latin America Socialism Self-Determination Vietnam War Espionage American Foreign Policy Government Royalty

What the critics say

"[Kinzer] brings a rich narrative immediacy to all of his stories." (Publishers Weekly)
"Kinzer's narrative abounds with unusual anecdotes, vivid description, and fine detail, demonstrating why he ranks among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling." (The Washington Post's Book World)
All stars
Most Relevant
it's nice to show true nature of the CIA, how they are not looking for Democratic leader or anything Democratic in other countries. good book.

great book

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I have listened to several previous Stephen Kinzer audiobooks and have enjoyed them immensely. Provocative and well presented. Same Narrator in them so my criticism of this book likely lies in the book itself.

The main criticism is how much the story jumps around. There are many stories here and it becomes difficult to follow after a while primarily because one story’s end does not mean you won’t hear of it again. So the overthrow of Hawaii is explained but then it comes up again when talking about the Philippines. If referenced it makes sense but sometimes it seemed like there was a full scale return to the previous story.

I think Stephen Kinzer’s books are much better when focused on a topic rather than an overview narrative.

Not my favourite

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