"On July 19, 1983, President Ronald Reagan established the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America to examine the social, economic, and democratic conditions in the region and to provide advice that could evolve into a comprehensive U.S. policy for Central America. Headed by Henry A. Kissinger, the twelve-member commission included the president of the AFL-CIO, a retired justice of the Supreme Court, the mayor of San Antonio, the president of Boston University, a professor of economics from Yale, a former ambassador and chairman of the Democratic Party, a financier and former senator, a former governor of Texas, a business leader, a political scientist, and a physician and humanitarian"--Back cover.

Rochlin (Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, York U.) traces the evolution of Canadian foreign policy towards Latin America. He discusses the periods from the beginning of the century to the Trudeau years, the Trudeau era, and 1984 and beyond, and turning points such as Canada's decision to enter the Organization of American States as a full member, its involvement in NAFTA negotiations, and its peacekeeping role in Central America. Rochlin focuses on the emergence of global trading blocs and changing hegemonic structures. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR