17 April 2006

The US ruling elite is a poor friend of democracy.

List of countries where it is known or suspected the US has covertly corrupted and/or interfered in democratic elections since 1945 [in no particular order].

Italy (1948), Bulgaria (1990), Albania (1991), Indonesia (1958), Grenada (1984), Nicaragua (1989), El Salvador (1960, 1992), Brazil (1962), Honduras (1980), Venezuela (2004)

List of countries where it is known or suspected the US has backed military coups, encouraged civil unrest, invasions and/or bombed to overthrow (or attempt to overthrow) democratically elected governments.

Iran (1953), Guatamala (1954,1983), Guyana (1964), Chile (1973), Bolivia (1967), El Salvador (1962, 2004), Ecuador (1963), Greece (1949,1967), Venezuela (2002), Equatorial Guinea (2004), Fiji (1987), Nicaragua (1989), Dominican Republic (1965), Brazil (1964), Iraq (1963)

Of course the US has (post-WWII), interfered in the affairs of and invaded many other countries, (70 of the world's nations in fact), but not all of them were fully functioning democracies at the time although US actions certainly prevented some of them from becoming democracies.

Dictator run countries either currently backed by the US or at one time or another in the past.

Saudi Arabia, Iraq (Saddam Hussain), Iran (the Shah), Chile (Pinochet), Kuwait, Panama, South Korea, Pakistan (General Musharraf), Phillipines (Ferdinand Marcos), Jordan, Lebanon, Cambodia (Pol Pot!!), Zaire, Brazil, Indonesia (Suharto), Haiti, Cuba (Batista), Nicaragua (Somoza), Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador, Honduras...

The US has also backed a number of other brutal opposition groups, notably.

The Taliban, Mujahideen, Guardia.... I could go on but...

If this isn't enough for you and you don't think the US engages in terrorism, read this.

2 comments:

  1. This "Ruling Elite" you speak of - are they all the same people? I thought they had elections in the USA. Silly me.

    And that Bill Clinton - when he didn't want to send troops to Rwanda - boy, he struck a blow against that American ruling elite didn't he? Miracle they let him stay on in 1996.

    I suppose that in the UK it would be the same British ruling elite that failed to intervene in Rwanda or Bosnia in the early 1990s the successfully argued for humanitarian intervention in Kosovo and Sierra Leone later in the 1990s. After all - you Labor guys are just the same as the Conservatives, right?

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  2. Simply, there is a difference between the Democrats and the Republicans but they both accept the need to protect the wealthy who fund them.

    Unfortunately it is getting the same way in the UK between the main parties but Labour is still much better than the Tories.

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