A detailed examination of the roots of revolution and counterrevolution in Central America and the Caribbean this book draws on the research of an interdisciplinary team of noted scholars. The authors give special attention to the institutional and structural causes of stability and instability—in particular the traditional role of the United States; the current economic crisis; the changing role of the Roman Catholic church; the influence of the military and security forces the oligarchy and the business sector; the problems of instituting socioeconomic reform; the politics of subsistence; and the revolutionary opposition. Following the thematic chapters a country-by-country focus is employed to assess the situations in El Salvador Guatemala Nicaragua Honduras Costa Rica and Jamaica and a section devoted to the international dimensions of the crisis looks at Mexican Soviet Cuban and U. S. policies toward the region The editors' concluding chapter explores prospects for the future of this troubled area.