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For well over a century, the United Fruit Company (UFCO) has been the most vilified multinational corporation operating in Latin America. Criticism of the UFCO has been widespread, ranging from politicians to consumer activists, and from labor leaders to historians, all portraying it as an overwhelmingly powerful corporation that shaped and often exploited its host countries. In this first history of the UFCO in Colombia, Marcelo Bucheli argues that the UFCO's image as an all-powerful force in determining national politics needs to be reconsidered. Using a previously unexplored source—the internal archives of Colombia's UFCO operation—Bucheli reveals that before 1930, the UFCO worked alongside a business-friendly government that granted it generous concessions and repressed labor unionism. After 1930, however, the country experienced dramatic transformations including growing nationalism, a stronger labor movement, and increasing demands by local elites for higher stakes in the banana export business.In response to these circumstances, the company abandoned production, selling its plantations (and labor conflicts) to local growers, while transforming itself into a marketing company. The shift was endorsed by the company's shareholders and financial analysts, who preferred lower profits with lower risks, and came at a time in which the demand for bananas was decreasing in America. Importantly, Bucheli shows that the effect of foreign direct investment was not unidirectional. Instead, the agency of local actors affected corporate strategy, just as the UFCO also transformed local politics and society

El Urabá-Darién por su ubicación y características geográficas ofrece un mosaico de ecosistemas tropicales, los cuales han sido incorporados al Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas. En este documento, mediante una revisión de información, se reseñan las áreas protegidas de la región. Las cuales aportan aproximadamente 24.330 hectáreas al sistema; siendo cerca del 1% del territorio nacional y el 4,5% de sus áreas protegidas. En total doce (12) áreas se encuentran registradas; siete de carácter netamente terrestres, tres terrestres-costeras, una terrestre-costera y marina, y una marino-costera. Se describen aspectos fundamentales de cada una de ellas, como el proceso de declaratoria, ecosistemas protegidos, servicios ecosistémicos y amenazas en su interior. En la sección final, se presentan otras estrategias de conservación presentes en la región, y se plasman algunas reflexiones relacionadas con el contexto social y político, la representatividad de ecosistemas y las oportunidades y desafíos entorno a su conservación. Además, Información y puntos de vista que pueden ser de utilidad para autoridades de conservación y planeación. ; Urabá-Darién region offers a mosaic of tropical ecosystems due to its location and geographical characteristics, which have been incorporated into the National System of Protected Areas. In this document, through a review of the available information, the protected areas of the region are reviewed. The mentioned areas contribute approximately 24,330 hectares to the system; being close to 1% of the national territory and 4.5% of its protected areas. Overall, twelve (12) areas are registered; seven correspond distinctly to terrestrial nature, three terrestrial-coastal, one terrestrial-coastal and marine, and one marine-coastal. Fundamental aspects of each of them are described, such as; declaratory process, protected ecosystems, ecosystem services and internal threats. In the final section, other existent conservation strategies in the region are presented, and some reflections related to the social and political context, the representativeness of ecosystems and the challenges and opportunities in conservation are showed. Information and viewpoints, that may be useful for the conservation and land planning sectors.

Intro -- Dedication -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- List of Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Part I: Approach -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 The Persian Gulf Region Encounters the Iraq War -- 1.2 Research Design -- 1.3 Persian Gulf Security Studies -- 1.3.1 Security Changes Following the Iraq War -- 1.3.2 The Persian Gulf Security Complex -- 1.3.3 A Synthetic Theoretical Framework -- 1.3.4 In Search of Causes -- Notes -- Chapter 2: Theoretical Perspectives on the Persian Gulf Security Complex -- 2.1 Security and Identity -- 2.2 Regional Security Complex Theory and the Copenhagen School -- 2.2.1 The Regionalist Approach -- 2.2.2 Regional Security Complex Theory -- 2.2.3 Boundary -- 2.2.4 Polarity -- 2.2.5 Social Construction -- 2.2.6 Internal and External Transformations -- 2.2.7 Securitization, Politicization and Ontological Security -- 2.2.8 Sectors of Security -- 2.3 Towards a More Sociological Perspective on Societal Security -- 2.3.1 The Societal Sector of Security -- 2.3.2 Identity, the Self and the Other -- 2.4 Theoretical Framework and Implications for Empirical Research -- 2.5 Summary -- Notes -- Chapter 3: Scrutinizing Causes: The Process-Tracing Method -- 3.1 Observing the Persian Gulf Security Complex Through Causes and Processes -- 3.2 Case Study Research -- 3.2.1 Strengths of the Case Study Approach -- 3.2.2 Weaknesses of the Case Study Approach -- 3.3 The Process-Tracing Method -- 3.4 Andrew Bennett's Process Tracing -- 3.5 Time Period -- 3.6 Data Collection -- 3.6.1 Primary Data -- 3.6.2 Secondary Data -- 3.7 Validity and Reliability -- 3.8 Ethical Concerns -- 3.9 Summary -- Notes -- Part II: Analyses -- Chapter 4: Regional Anti-American Sentiment Between 1980 and 2003 -- 4.1 Anti-Americanism from Different Perspectives -- 4.2 Actor Constellation in the Regional Rise of Anti-Americanism in the Persian Gulf.

The six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council face similar economic and political problems: falling oil revenues, growing budget deficits and increased demands on their foreign resources, a one-sided economic structure and increased pressure by public opinion for political rights. Their approaches to finding solutions have varied. Will these approaches be adequate to exploit the economic potential of the region in the future? Improvements in certain areas give ground for optimism.