Blog #8: IMHO

How Latin America has Shown-Up the Hypocrisy of U.S. Democracy

Following Dilma Rousseff’s election as president, Brazil has joined its South American neighbors Chile and Argentina in recently electing a woman into the most powerful position in their respective countries. In the cases of Rousseff and Chile’s recently deposed President Michelle Bachelet, their stories provide an interesting historical and current insight into the differing ideas and policies of democracy in Latin America and the United States. Specifically, the U.S. has made interventions in both Brazil and Chile that dented the cause of democracy in the countries and Rousseff and Bachelet’s own campaign for it, while, in the last 60-plus years, having a consistent policy to spread their “democracy” around the globe.

Rousseff follows in the footsteps of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who became the country’s first leftist leader since Brazil came under military rule in the 1960s. In what will come as little surprise to those with knowledge of the history of Latin America, the U.S. is known to have supported the military coup, overthrowing a democratically elected government in 1964 [see declassified audio tapes of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency]. In an even more poignant twist, Rousseff was imprisoned and tortured by the same military dictatorship in 1970 [New York Times profile of Rousseff].

Michelle Bachelet, who led Chile from 2006 until earlier this year, too, has a very personal story of how the U.S. held back both her country’s and her own personal democratic rise.  Bachelet was imprisoned and tortured by the military following the coup that led to Augusto Pinochet assuming control of the country from Salvador Allende’s democratically elected government in 1973. Again, this was another military coup that had the support of the U.S. government [See New York Times profile of Bachelet]. Pinochet’s dictatorship was also characterized by human right’s violations and resulted in the death and disappearance of at least 3,000 people [see BBC News Chile profile].

These two very timely examples of U.S. interference in Latin America are simply the tip of the iceberg. The history of the region is littered with incidents of U.S. involvement that has replaced democratically elected governments with military dictatorships. These dictatorships subsequently led to years and often decades of unrest; causing an increase in poverty, while at the same time protecting U.S. economic interests in the nation [E. Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America].

The U.S. government, whichever party has been in the White House, have, on the surface, made it their mission to spread democracy around the globe; the most recent example being the invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, it should be clear to anyone with a basic historical knowledge that this is nothing more than a facade. The real intention of U.S. foreign policy is to place people in power in nations around the world who will look after a capitalist agenda that protects U.S. corporations, in the same way that the so-called democracy in this country does.

Leaders in Latin America, like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, have been condemned in recent times by the U.S. for daring to challenge the notion that their country’s natural resources should go toward making their own rich and the rich of the U.S. richer. But, in electing female leaders like Rousseff, indigenous leaders like Bolivia’s Evo Morales, and having several democratically elected leaders who are working for the rights of the under-privileged majority, the region should be seen as a beacon of hope throughout the globe. Certainly the U.S., where there is still outrage at the idea of providing its citizens with health care, could learn a lot about the true meaning of democracy: giving an equal voice and opportunity to all sections of society.