Southeast Asia - Politics & Government, 20th Century American History - Relations - General & Miscellaneous, Asia, Australasia & Oceania - Diplomatic Relations with the U.S., Philippines - History, Economic Conditions in Australia and Australaisa, Austral
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Overview
In Looted: The Philippines after the Bases, veteran correspondent Donald Kirk cuts through the mystique of democracy that has shrouded the Philippines since the American withdrawal from its military bases there in 1991 and 1992, and he reveals the corruption that exists beneath the surface. Making use of his extensive firsthand knowledge of the region, Kirk recounts the drama of one of history's greatest volcanic eruptions as just the beginning of a period of looting and exploitation. He provides details and revelations of the Philippine role in the stripdown of Clark Air Base and the subversion of Subic Bay to serve the purposes of one ambitious politician, and he offers a disturbing analysis of the efforts to resolve Muslim and Communist revolt. At the same time, he looks ahead to the promise - and danger - on new frontiers to the south and west. A provocative look at an often unexamined country, Looted is a stirring account that allows the reader to feel like an eyewitness to the events that it analyzes.Editorials
Booknews
Kirk (Asian correspondent) shows the failure of democracy in the Philippines not through the maneuvering of elitist political parties but in the machinations of an upper class as dramatized in the fate of the American bases at Clark and Subic. He examines the corruption and nepotism that overshadow the mystique of the Edsa revolution, recounts the drama of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo as the start of a period of looting and exploitation, analyzes efforts to resolve guerilla revolt, and concludes with a chapter on the promise and dangers of new frontiers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.Journalist Donald Kirk writes a passionate indictment about all that is wrong with the Philippines....[T]he book is a bit too pessimistic, written in 1997, just as the Asian crisis was at its worst and Philippine politics at a particularly low ebb. In the past year and a half, though, the country has weathered economic and political change better than several of its neighbors. The Philippines may not be perfect, but its economy is still growing and its political system is still intact. And in Asia these days, those are no small triumphs.
— Far Eastern Economic Review
Book Details
Published
January 1, 1998
Publisher
New York : St. Martin's Press, 1998.
Pages
256
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780312174231