The "people power" revolution that brought Corazon Aquino, widow of assassinated opposition leader Benigno Aquino, to the presidency of the Philippines in 1986 seemed to promise a new era in the troubled history of that nation. The downfall of the Marcos regime and the advent of a new leadership inspired by an apparent idealism and concern for pressing social problems were met with international enthusiasm and optimism. Ultimately, however, the Aquino presidency proved ineffectual.

Although Cory Aquino achieved her office by projecting the image of a bereaved widow unsophisticated in political matters and desirous of a new and better Philippines, she rivaled her predecessor in refusing to deliver many of the reforms necessary for her country's advancement beyond poverty and corruption.

Robert H. Reid and Eileen Guerrero, both seasoned journalists, reported on the political scene in the Philippines throughout the Aquino administration, and their in-depth analysis in Corazon Aquino and the Brushfire Revolution offers a vivid, insightful record of those turbulent years. Drawing from a wealth of interview sources, primary and secondary documents, and their own close familiarity with Filipino society and government, the authors elucidate the complex political world of the Philippines.