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NOAM CHOMSKY ON THE NEW US MILITARIZATION OF LATIN AMERICA - WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND VENEZUELA UNDER THREAT THIS SATURDAY (March 27)
SPECIAL VSC VENEZUELA UNDER THREAT UPDATE, 22 MARCH 2010
CHOMSKY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NEW US MILITARIZATION OF LATIN AMERICA
In a recent English Edition of the Venezuelan Paper, Correo del Orinoco, Noam Chomsky looks at the new US militarization of Latin America and the threat this poses to social progress, raising a number of issues that will be discussed by leading experts at Venezuela Under Threat (latest details below) this Saturday.
Putting developments in the context of US intervention historically, he argues that “Throughout [recent history], Latin America retained its primacy in [US]global planning. As Washington was considering the overthrow of the Allende government in Chile in 1971, Nixon's National Security Council observed that if the US cannot control Latin America, it cannot expect ‘to achieve a successful order elsewhere in the world.’” Today, he argues, “that policy problem has become more severe with recent South American moves towards integration, a prerequisite for independence, and establishment of more varied international ties.”
Chomsky then looks specifically at the recent agreement between the US and Colombia, writing that, “The official purpose is to counter narcotrafficking and terrorism, ‘but senior Colombian military and civilian officials familiar with negotiations told The Associated Press that the idea is to make Colombia a regional hub for Pentagon operations.” He concludes by arguing that “Establishing US military bases in Colombia is only one part of a much broader effort to restore Washington's capacity for military intervention.” Additionally, “the US Fourth Fleet, disbanded in 1950, was reactivated in 2008, shortly after Colombia's invasion of Ecuador, with responsibility for the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the surrounding waters,” and “there has been a sharp increase in US military aid and training of Latin American officers.”
Against this, we must support peace, social justice and self-determination. You can read the full piece here and reserve your place at the Venezuela Under Threat event here !
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