{"product_id":"the-dictators-shadow-9780786726042","title":"The Dictator's Shadow","description":"Augusto Pinochet was the most important Third World dictator of the Cold War, and perhaps the most ruthless. In \u003ci\u003eThe Dictator's Shadow\u003c\/i\u003e, United Nations Ambassador Heraldo Munoz takes advantage of his unmatched set of perspectives -- as a former revolutionary who fought the Pinochet regime, as a respected scholar, and as a diplomat -- to tell what this extraordinary figure meant to Chile, the United States, and the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Pinochet's American backers saw his regime as a bulwark against Communism; his nation was a testing ground for U.S.-inspired economic theories. Countries desiring World Bank support were told to emulate Pinochet's free-market policies, and Chile's government pension even inspired President George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social Security. The other baggage -- the assassinations, tortures, people thrown out of airplanes, mass murders of political prisoners -- was simply the price to be paid for building a modern state. But the questions raised by Pinochet's rule still remain: Are such dictators somehow necessary?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Horrifying but also inspiring, \u003ci\u003eThe Dictator's Shadow\u003c\/i\u003e is a unique tale of how geopolitical rivalries can profoundly affect everyday life.","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67927749820594,"sku":"9780786726042","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0536\/7418\/0786\/files\/9780786726042.jpg?v=1794038729","url":"https:\/\/shop.hachettebookgroup.com\/products\/the-dictators-shadow-9780786726042","provider":"Hachette Book Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}