Anthropology,revolution, and development

Green, Edward C., ed. Practicing Development Anthropology. Boulder and London: Westview Press, 1986. xi + 283 pp. including tables, figures, and acknowledgements. $26.50 paper.

Banerjee, Diptendra, ed. Marxian Theory and the Third World. New Delhi/Beverly Hills/London: Sage Publications, 1985. 325 pp. including chapter references and list of contributors. No price.     

The Origins of American Expansion in Hawaii and Samoa, 1865–1900

From Nixon to Reagan, official US perceptions of West German trade with the Soviet Union (Osthandel) underwent a remarkable evolution. Despite initial skepticism, the Nixon and Ford administrations placed no major obstacles to West German–Soviet economic relations. Carter, however, changed the situation. His stance on human rights and economic sanctions against the Soviets for various developments - along with his belief that West Germany should follow the United States' lead - led Carter to ask Schmidt to curtail Osthandel, an action that contributed to Schmidt's notoriously poor relationship with the US President. Despite coming from a different political party, Reagan initially continued Carter's outlook on Osthandel. Yet rather than emphasize human rights, he publicly stressed Poland's self-determination as the reason to implement his aggressive policy to curb trade with the USSR, even though his advisers feared the strategic implications of greater German dependence on Soviet energy. Carter's and Reagan's early approaches were ineffective. Their actions, especially the latter's, strained US relations with Germany, the United States' most important ally in central Europe. Equally important, both Carter's and Reagan's policies undermined détente with Moscow. Because Nixon and Ford's approach to Osthandel harmed neither US–German relations nor US–Soviet relations, these presidents' responses had conspicuous advantages over succeeding administrations.     

The ‘Wicked Machinery of Government':1 Malta and the Problems of Continuity under the New Model Administration

This is a study focused on the early years of British rule in Malta (1800–13). It explores the application to the island of the ‘new model’ of colonial government, one based on direct rule from London mediated by the continuation of existing laws and institutions. Systemic deficiencies are identified. These tended to undermine the effectiveness of direct British rule. This study also reveals, in the context of legal and constitutional continuity, unresolved tensions between modernity and tradition. The political stability of the island was damaged and the possibility of continued British possession was threatened.     

The 'English patient' strikes back: a response to Hall's mis-diagnosis

In this rejoinder to Ian Hall's criticisms of both the English school and Buzan and Little's book International systems in world history, Hall is taken to task on two counts. The first relates to a misunderstanding of what the English school is about, and hence a mis-diagnosis of its 'death'. The second concerns a misrepresentation of the position and contents of International systems in world history.