independent views in their columns, but these views appear to find little echo in
New York Times editorial policy.

At a time when lies have become the stock-in-trade of public information in
the United States and are pervasive enough to overwhelm (or confuse) even
some critics of U.S. policy, careful analyses written by committed scholars from
both Latin and North America can be vital in combatting the right wing's
near-monopoly on ideas. At a time, further, when American foreign policy is
racist (in its underlying hatred and fear of the Third World) and truly imperial
(in its disdain for Third World sovereignty), it becomes especially important to
provide a forum for Latin American perspectives on the problems of Latin
America.

Finally, it is our hope that leading Latin American and U.S. scholars can help
break through the ideological roadblocks and build a bridge of understanding
between the Third World and progressives in the United States -- a bridge that
is increasingly important to the efficacy of progressive and anti-interventionist
efforts in the United States. We are privileged to present such scholars in this
volume.

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