Following the 1961 assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic descended into a period of national turmoil. The intervention of foreign troops played a critical role in the effort to allow presidential elections to take place in June 1966. The result was the installation of Joaquin Balaguer in the presidency. Subsequently, this skillful civilian leader defeated both a right wing coup and a Cuban?based guerrilla expedition, and successfully gained control of the chaotic Dominican officer corps by the mid?1970s. In this comprehensive study of the Dominican Republic's...