Some readers may wish to read a history of Argentina's Wars of Independence to get a more detailed view of the subject. How accurate were Jose de Martin's fears about the future of his country? Was Argentina, and the other countries of the area, too racially mixed to become truly democratic? Do idealists like San Martin and the fictional Baltasar Bustos ever realize their objectives? San Martin, betrayed by his own Creole class, was forced out of Argentina in 1824 and died in Paris in 1850. What kind of national leaders have usually ruled the country?

Simon Bolivar's most famous comment on his campaigns was: "I have plowed in the sea." The leaders of the American Revolution did not suffer his fate. Why did this revolution turn out so differently? Fuentes believes that while Americans enjoy democracy at home, in their relations with other weaker countries they behave...