Old patterns are repeated. Anyone familiar with the history
of US activities in Latin America will not be surprised by this story. The
United States has long sought to influence and manipulate politics south of the
border.
The US declared this policy as early as the Monroe Doctrine
though it was not able to immediately enforce it. But after the Civil War the
United States began a generations long process of consolidation. First the
continental empire was secured. Then by the end of the 19th century
the US began to earnestly look beyond its shores. A host of Latin American
'interventions' took place in addition to the overtly imperial agenda of the
Spanish-American War. Since then the US has intervened literally dozens of
times in the overthrowing of governments and the crushing of democratic
activity. America has backed dictators and participated in covert operations
leading to the deaths of (depending on how one wishes to count) at least
200,000 people in Latin America since the dawn of the 20th century.
One of the mechanisms that has been well documented is to
place undesirable regimes under economic stress. Nixon famously ordered the CIA
to make the Chilean 'economy scream'. While the CIA's espionage activities are
well known, as well as its long history of covert ops in the realms of
smuggling, assassination and the backing of paramilitary forces, not as many
realise how much time and energy is given to economic activities.
The CIA is heavily involved in monitoring the operations of
Wall Street. A literal host of banks, insurance companies, defense contractors,
hedge funds, law firms and think-tanks have connections to Langley. In some
cases the CIA has placed agents in key places. They gather information and in
some cases manipulate it. In certain situations they orchestrate.
US intelligence is also heavily involved in international
business espionage. They steal data and technology from abroad and they have
engaged in sabotage. Its toolkit is vast and varied. Sometimes the United
States can move very aggressively and remove an undesirable leader or regime in
a very short time. In other cases there is a protracted battle. The present
project to undo the legacy of Hugo Chavez comes to mind. The US backed if not
orchestrated an attempt to remove him in 2002. When that failed they began to
effect a policy that would break Venezuelan society. This is not to say that
Chavez's so-called Bolivarian Revolution was not without its own failings and
the 'socialism' he sought to implement was instead a capitalist-dependent
paternalism open to corruption and destined to fail. Chavez died with defeat on
the horizon and now his successor and the whole Chavez programme is in
jeopardy.
At this writing Trump has initiated rhetoric openly calling
for Maduro's removal and threatening military 'intervention'. Such overt
military attacks have been out of style for awhile, the last significant
invasion taking place with Bush's Panama massacre of 1989. The lies and
misrepresentation surrounding the US relationship with Panama, Noriega, the
conflict and death toll are perfect if not poignant examples of how the
American Empire deceives its public and tries to mislead the world.
Latin America all but rose up in reaction to the policies of
George W Bush and the economic policies implemented in the 1990s under Bush I
and Clinton. The commodities boom allowed nations like Brazil, Venezuela and
Chile to attain a degree of economic clout and independence and the public voted
in various 'Leftist' governments. Led by Lula in Brazil and Chavez in Venezuela
the policies of the United States were openly challenged. For a time it seemed
that Colombia was the sole loyal proxy controlled by Washington.
Bush became mired in the lies surrounding his fictitious War
on Terror and the quagmire of the sectarian War in Iraq. Latin American
independence flourished.
Then came the crash of 2008. Oil prices began to fall. Credit
was restricted and markets collapsed. An age of austerity set in and Latin
American economies began to falter.
Here's where The Intercept story becomes most pertinent.
American interests have sought in every way possible to capitalise on this
instability and if anything agitate it and feed it. Through propaganda, funding,
direct support for political, corporate and street agitators they have done all
they can to facilitate instability and collapse. The NSA has collected
information and it has been used. They have planted officials, pulling from a
vast pool of American trained and backed assets. In many cases I believe these
figures connected to business, politics, the judiciary and military are little
more than agents and proxies of Langley.
Using these forces they can break governments and destroy
societies. In the age of internet scrutiny 'the sword' must often be wielded in
a delicate and subtle way. At least the perception must be thus. Behind the
scenes it's a mad slash fest. Not a few people have died under rather
mysterious circumstances.
Lula is now facing incarceration and under Trump a military
invasion of Venezuela is being threatened. It has taken 10-15 years but at this
point the Latin American Leftist movement, the political revolt against the
North American Empire now lies in ruins.
And the Empire has built up a significant infrastructure from
which it will continue to draw from as it seeks to build up a new bureaucracy.
The game and playbook are the same. It's only the names that
change with the times. We've seen this before. In the 1980s it was the Heritage
Foundation coupled with the Christian Right that led the charge. Heritage is
still a significant player but its name is now so well known that it can't
operate in quite the same fashion as it could in the 1980s. But even then it
often worked through proxy organisations. The Heritage/Reagan Doctrine episode
is most instructive with regard to the overlap of figures from the various
sectors of US society. Truly it was a concert of operatives, groups and money
from Wall Street, the Pentagon and Langley.
Another task these various organisations rely on is the
lobbying of congress (often through law firms) and while they're never able to
secure all the Senators, there are certain key or essential figures they rely
on. These figures are usually connected to the right committee or represent
states hosting significant or pertinent financial institutions and defense
contractors.
This is at the very heart of how the empire works.
These events taking place today are but another sequel in a
long and tortured tale of American Intervention drama-murder plays.
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