1. The Lessons and Legacy of Omar Torrijos -- 2. Whirlpool -- Pt. I. The Quest for the National Interest -- 3. The Carter Administration: A Test of Principle -- 4. The Reagan Administration: A Test of Strength -- 5. The Bush Administration: A Test of Pragmatism -- 6. The Clinton Administration: A Test of (Postwar) Politics -- 7. Interbranch Politics and the American Dialectic -- Pt. II. Recurring Problems -- 8. Succession Crises: The Boundaries of Influence -- 9. Revolutionary Regimes: Who Pushed First? -- 10. Promoting Development: The Marshall Plan Reflex -- 11. Promoting Democracy: Pushing on the Pendulum -- Pt. III. Exit -- 12. The Psychology of Inter-American Relations -- 13. The Redefinition of Sovereignty: The Nicaraguan Precedent and the Mexican Model -- 14. The Century of the Americas: A Community of Democracies