The External environment / G. Pope Atkins -- The United States and the OAS / Larman C. Wilson and David W. Dent -- International economic organizations / René Salgado -- Elite values / Mark P. Lagon -- Think tanks / Howard J. Wiarda -- Interest groups / David W. Dent -- The U.S. media / John Spicer Nichols, Michael J. Dillon, and Krishna Kishore -- Public opnion / Frederick C. Turner -- Making policy for Latin America: process and explanation / Harold Molineu -- The Presidency / Stephen G. Rabe -- The Presidential advisory system / Gabriel Marcella -- The Role of the U.S. ambassador / Edward S. Mihalkanin and Warren Keith Neisler -- The U.S. military / Charles T. Call -- The U.S. Congress / Philip Brenner and Geoffrey Plague -- Intervention and interventionism / Michael J. Kryzanek -- Human rights / Elizabeth Cohn -- Promoting democracy / Elizabeth Cohn and Michael J. Nojeim -- The United States and the Central American peace process / Darío Moreno and Darío Pérez