"This account of the demise of the Pinochet regime and of the Aylwin government that succeeded it is by far the best of the several published in recent years. The author, a Spanish journalist trained in theology and classical languages, is neither Chilean nor a politician himself, but has friends and confidants in all the right (and center-left) places, and has a remarkable feel for the flow and subtleties of Chilean politics. Otano argues that despite Chile's economic success and astute civilian leadership since 1990, General Pinochet remains a powerful and disruptive influence. Author also provides insightful analyses of the divisions afflicting opposition and Concertation parties alike, the power and cohesion of the president and his principal ministers and advisors (which Otano terms the 'transversal' party), and the political management skills of key ministers like Krauss, Boeninger, and Correa"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.