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Sun 21 Mar, 2004 05:51 am
US-sponsored Murderous Dictatorships:
A List
The greatest crime ever perpetrated in the name of America is the US government's long-established practice of installing and supporting so many murderous dictatorships, primarily after the end of colonialism and during the Cold War with the all-justifying excuse of anti-communism.
How many murderous dictatorships has the US installed or supported?
Let's count.
Country Dictator Dates
Chile Gen. Augusto Pinochet 1973-1990
Argentina Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla 1976-1981
Indonesia Suharto 1965 coup against left-leaning Sukarno,
1975 support of East Timor genocide, etc.
Guatemala Armas, Fuentes, Montt 1954-
Iran The Shah of Iran
Ayatollah Khomeini was on the CIA payroll in the 1970s in Paris
Egypt Sadat, Mubarak 1978-today
Iraq Saddam Hussein
Nicaragua Anastasio Somoza & sons 1937-1979
Paraguay Stroessner. US supported throughout (state.gov says
US has supported Paraguayan development since 1942) ($142M between 1962 and 1975) 1954-1989
Bolivia Col. Hugo Banzer overthrew elected leftist president
Juan Jose Torres 1970-
Angola Jonas Savimbi/UNITA (didn't actually win his revolution, but killed or displaced millions) 1975-1989
Zaire Mobutu
Saudi Arabia Saud family
Kuwait a monarchy
Morocco
Tunisia
Algeria
Jordan
Panama Noriega was US-supported for years
Haiti Papa Doc, Baby Doc
Dominican Republic Belaguer 1965
Honduras
El Salvador 1980s
Nepal monarchy since 1948
Cuba Fulgencio Batista pre-Castro
Brazil Gen. Branco overthrew elected president Goulart with US support 1965-67
Uzbekistan Kamirov "The Boiler", $150M from the Bush administration for an air base.
*How many Americans know the above? My guess: 1%
But it's pointless conjecture. Most of these "regimes" no longer exist and today's foreign policy and yesterday's foreign policy have nothing to do with each other. Looking at this list by itself is sure damning, but if you want education, read up on each of these regimes and find out what the reason's behind each one is.
You forgot Haiti again. We had a democratically elected government thrown out again by a bunch of CIA financed thugs.
I don't think it's pointless at all to be informed about what a government has done on behalf of it's citizens. Past or present. I already know about many of the cases listed above. It disturbs me that it appears that so many US citizens appear not to know about their governments' intrusions in other countries' internal affairs. It's positive to be aware, if only to try to avoid the same things happening time & time again.
Thanks
I didn't forget Haiti. The reader can also be a participant. Yes, you have added Haiti. That's participation.
Thank you.
Who cares what a murderous thug does so long as he buys our products, or sells us what we want? I mean, there are no consequences for doing business as usual with dictators and tyrants. We are not reponsible for his murdering tendencies. We are floating his reign of terror by doing business with him. It isn't our fault he takes all the wealth and keeps it for himself to oppress his people. We aren't the ones empowering him, we are just businessmen trying to make a buck. How is his dictatorship OUR fault? We have no morals when we conduct business, so why should he? We're fabulously rich, and so is he, but his people aren't. That's OUR fault? Pish posh. We are so superior to those thugs, we couldn't possibly be responsible in any way shape or form for his conduct. Besides, who cares if he is killing his own people? They aren't white, so they aren't right. Screw 'em. There's a fortune to be made. Who cares who gets trampled along the way?
History is pointless? Even when it leads up right up to the present meddling in the Middle East? I get a kick out of the dismissers on websites, who pooh pooh everything with a wave of their delicate hand, and of course, never once offering the slightest bit of evidence to suggest they are correctly dismissing something. Why is it these types think they can just wave their hand and be mistaken for an authority on any matter? How is it they think the casual dismissal is enough to make the issue simply dissolve off the screen? What is behind this kind of arrogance and petulance?
Perhaps because much of what's happening now is a result of past policies(see Afghanistan and Iraq).
Read "Blowback" by Chalmers Johnson and you may understand a bit more.
The idea being put forth here seems to be that we should never have diplomatic relations with or do business with any dictatorship. That would certainly exclude a lot of countries, including China. In the real world, where the stakes are high, we must sometimes "hold our nose" and ally ourselves with countries we don't entirely approve of. I would like to hear an example of a country that is doesn't do business with any dictatorship.
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