We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Rollback in the Empire's "Backyard"

by Ron Horn.

Empire operatives are busy all over the world destabilizing governments that do not cooperate fully with Empire interests. They do this by a variety of methods, the most useful has been by aligning the target countries' military with the US Army. This integration of the former with the latter is accomplished with lavish junket trips to the US and by equipping their military and police with weapons and training. In addition, Empire based NGOs provide similar kinds of support for compliant citizens engaged in ideological roles in the targeted countries: in media, academia, and professional organizations.  

Parallel with these efforts, we see the direct establishment of more US military bases in the region and direct US agency participation in phony anti-drug campaigns. In spite of declarations of attacking the drug trade, there continues to be considerable evidence indicating that military and political leaders in these targeted countries are also very much involved with drug trafficking with US complicity, even their participation. The latest new development is seen with the US promotion of the prison complex into Latin America.

Many of these methods have been honed over many decades in Latin America and extended throughout the world. In Latin America we have seen a bit of a backlash against US influence with the election of populist governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil. This backlash has been limited and contained, and now it appears that Empire operatives are aggressively pursuing policies to take back these gains. 

Below I am supplying links to what I regard as the best articles and videos that illustrate and offer insights on the latest developments.

 

What drives US policy in Central America?

Paraguay: Impeachment or political coup?
 

Democracy from Below in Bolivia: An Interview with Oscar Olivera 

U.S. Prison Industrial Complex Moves South of the Border