Modernization as Ideology

“A particularly interesting study. . . . A stimulating and well-written book that contributes significantly to our understanding of the ideologically underpinned activist crusades the United States embarked upon in the Kennedy years.” — Journal of American History

“Latham provides a detailed, clear, and largely well-supported study of several important U.S. Cold War foreign policies and their connections to modernization theory.” — American Historical Review

“In this thoroughly researched, eloquently written book, Michael Latham examines how 'modernization theory' influenced the underlying ideological assumptions of US foreign policy-making during the Kennedy administration. . . . Latham’s is an important book that should find a wide audience among those interested in the history of the Cold War, the Kennedy administration and its legacy, US policies towards the Third World, especially Vietnam and Latin America, and in particular the cultural and ideological underpinnings of US foreign policy. The book forms part of the valuable New Cold War History series being produced by the UNC Press.” — International Affairs

“Carefully researched. . . . This book should be widely read by students and scholars of history, political science, sociology, and policy analysis. Its lessons are still very relevant today.” — CHOICE

“Elegant, precise, and copiously informative, Michael Latham’s book on the ideology of developmental modernization in the early 1960s is a marvellous example of what diplomatic history can do when it becomes critical and pushes limits while maintaining a thorough grounding in historical evidence.” — Anders Stephanson, Columbia University