I’ve noticed considerable confusion over why South American countries seem to be more anti-US than they used to be. The answer lies in former US efforts to suppress democracy, encourage terror, and even teach torture in those nations.

“The precise pain, in the precise place, in the precise amount, for the desired effect.” – Dan Mitrione,United States government security advisor for the CIA in Latin America, and instructor in the art of torture teaching techniques in Uruguay during the nation’s 1973-1985 military dictatorship. US intervention continues to haunt Latin America, a region overrun with brutal military dictatorships during the 1970’s and 80’s. Dictatorships coordinated torture, assassinations and disappearances under a US-backed program in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. The program, called Plan Condor, was a shared strategy in Latin America’s Southern Region during the 1970s and 80s and had Washington involvement. Human rights groups claim that tens of thousands were killed during South America’s darkest period during the 1970’s and 1980’s under the military dictatorships. Military governments came to power via well planned coups in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. In Argentina alone, an estimated 30,000 people were forcefully disappeared. Now nearly 30 years later, long standing impunity has overshadowed efforts for regional integration and return to democratic rule. Throughout the region, the road to justice has been slow. Argentina has taken the lead in trying former military and police after amnesty laws protecting military have been overturned in 2005. However, Uruguay and Brazil still uphold amnesty laws preventing human rights trials from taking place. While in Chile justice is possible, the nation grapples with dictator supporters in government who continue to hold up legal proceedings… …The slogan “Never Again” was adopted with the hope that Argentina and other countries in the region, including Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, ruled by violent military dictatorships would never repeat that dark chapter in history. Decades have passed since the end to the dictatorships in the region and much heralded “return to democracy.” But many of the old systems of repression remain. In Argentina a key human rights witness, Julio Lopez remains missing after his 2006 disappearance. Survivors in the region continue to face threats and security issues on the brink of their testimonies in trials. Much of the files and top-secret information has yet to be released about the crimes the military coups committed. Plan Condor united the nations in a plan to wipe out dissidents regionally through state imposed terror. Now, governments in the Southern Cone have the opportunity to work together to revisit the past and investigate the crimes which continue to be a social stigma scarring the respective countries. Without justice and with outstanding impunity, history is likely to repeat itself… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Toward Freedom>

Between the ellipses, the author updates the progress in each of these nations. If you click through, it’s worth the read.

During the Nixon and Reagan years, the US engaged in state sponsored terrorism in which the body count far and away exceeded the number of people killed in Al Qaeda sponsored Terrorism. September 11 is just as famous in South America as it is in the US. On September 11, 1973, Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger and the GOP helped orchestrate the coup in which elected President Salvador Allende was murdered and replaced by the infamous Agosto Pinochet. Thousands were fatally disappeared in its wake, including a US reporter. His story is accurately portrayed in the movie Missing. Kissenger feared that Allende might nationalize Chile’s copper mining and smelting to benefit Chile’s people, pushing out US corporations in the process. This is the case about which we have the most evidence of GOP involvement. However Henry Kissinger was indicted in several countries in the region. Reagan and GHW Bush were more involved repressing Central American nations for their resources, while GW ChickenHawk had plans to conquer eight nations in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Only GOP incompetence in conducting our two current wars saved the other six.

So why is this important now? We need to understand that wars of aggression and state sponsored terrorism are nothing new. It’s how the GOP does business. They must be kept out of power.