Todd Greentree establishes the historical, political, and conceptual relationship between U.S. involvement in the Central American wars, the Vietnam War, and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then develops a general analytical framework for understanding the fundamental and recurring nature of insurgency, counterinsurgency, and intervention. Greentree cites U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s as clearly demonstrating the costs, risks, and limits to intervention and the use of force in internal conflicts.

Originally published: Westport, Conn. : Praeger Security International, 2008.

Foreword / Robert W. Tucker -- Preface -- Introduction: The strategy and policy of intervention in Central America -- What was at stake? -- The problem of limits -- The fall of Somoza and the triumph of the Sandinistas -- Reform with repression in El Salvador -- The Contra War -- Every war must end -- Aftermath and epilogue -- Notes -- Selected resdings -- Index