Bacardí : the hidden war / Hernando Calvo Ospina ; translated by Stephen Wilkinson and Alasdair Holden ; preface by James Petras.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Calvo Ospina, Hernando, 1961-

Standardized Title:

Ron Bacardi. English

Language:

English

Spanish

Subjects (All):

Bacardí Corporation (Puerto Rico)--History.

Bacardí Corporation (Puerto Rico).

Bacardí Corporation (Puerto Rico)--Political activity.

Rum industry--United States.

Rum industry.

Rum industry--Political activity--United States.

Political participation.

History.

United States.

Physical Description:

xvi, 127 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First English language edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; Sterling, Va. : Pluto Press, 2002.

Language Note:

Translated from the Spanish.

Summary:

The Bacardi rum company is one of the most successful and recognizable brands in the world. It spends millions on marketing itself as the spirit of youth and vitality. But behind its image as a party drink lies a very different story.In this book, investigative journalist Hernando Calvo Ospina brings to light the commercial and political activities of the Bacardi empire to reveal its role in fostering the 40-year long confrontation between the United States and the revolutionary government of Cuba. Through meticulous research, Calvo Ospina reveals how directors and shareholders of the family-owned firm have aggressively worked to undermine the Castro government. He explores how they have been implicated in supporting paramilitary organizations that have carried out terrorists attacks, and reveals their links to the extreme right-wing Cuban-American Foundation that supported Ronald Regan's Contra war in Nicaragua."Bacardi: The Hidden War" explains the company's hand in promoting "special interest" legislation against its competitor, Havana Club Rum, which is manufactured in Cuba and promoted by the European company Pernod-Ricard. Calvo Ospina reveals the implications of Bacardi's involvement in this growing dispute that threatens to create a trade war between America and Europe. Exploring the Bacardi empire's links to the CIA, as well as its inside links with the Bush administration, this fascinating and readable account shows how multinational companies act for political as well as economic interests."Bacardi: The Hidden War" was first published in Spanish and has been translated into French, Dutch, German and Italian.

Contents:

ch. 1. The Bacardí-Bouteiller Company

ch. 2. Expansion and prelude to departure

ch. 3. Bacardí leaves Cuba before the revolution

ch. 4. The CIA, the businessman and the terrorists

ch. 5. From violence to the lobby

ch. 6. Reagan breeds a monster

ch. 7. The CANF and the shareholders

ch. 8. Two wars and their accomplices

ch. 9. The Torricelli-Graham Act

ch. 10. The absurd : the Helms-Burton Act

ch. 11. "The Bacardí Claims Act"

ch. 12. Market "wars"

ch. 13. More than a rum "war"

ch. 14. Cuba's "transition" and "reconstruction."

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [108]-120) and index.

ISBN:

0745318746

0745318738

OCLC:

48163295