Double Standards (Part Five)

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Feb

Double Standards (Part Five)

Written by Satish Sekar

Disingenuous Disengagement
Because successive American administrations refused to engage with Fidel Castro and his government, the new Cuban government had little choice but to realign and seek help from the Soviet block. The rebuff by the Americans following the overthrow of Batitsta in 1959 was complete, accompanied by a trade embargo – an attempt to strange Cuba's economy.

By refusing to engage with Castro, the new Cuban government had little choice but to realign and seek help from the Soviet block after being rebuffed by the Americans following the overthrow of Batitsta in 1959. The Bay of Pigs fiasco added to Castro's legitimate fears as well, but it was not until 1965 that Castro led the transition of Cuba into a one-party state and became First Secretary of Cuba's Communist Party.

Between those events was the Cuban Missiles Crisis. Castro later realised that he had been sold out by a secret deal between US President John Kennedy and then leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Nikita Khrushchev, which resulted in the USA withdrawing weapons from Turkey in return for the missiles destined for Cuba being returned to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Nevertheless by then Castro had few options – his flag was hitched to the Soviet Union.

Had the lessons been learnt then, Chile would have been spared a bloody coup and almost two decades of vicious fascistic misrule. Salvador Allende's government was not allied to the USSR. To the end Allende wanted to engage with the Americans. They refused, undermined him and Chile's economy and prepared to create the conditions for the coup they wanted. Whatever happened to concern for democratic values and human rights?

Preparing The Coup
Allende took power in Chile despite the wishes of the US government. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was determined to destroy the Chilean economy and Allende's popularity. It invested heavily in destabilising the country and wrecking the economy, blaming Allende and his government. It fostered strikes, including truckers, knowing that would deprive Chilean companies of produce and materials it needed to trade.

The right-wing opposition presented itself as the only viable option, but after Allende's election the CIA and US government did not want to take chances. As far as it was concerned Allende was a communist dictator who would turn the country into a prison-camp with no respect for human rights – an ironic belief given their acquiescence with the brutality of Pinochet.

The US company ITT feared that Allende would expropriate its assets and approached the CIA in June 1970 to help destabilise his government. This was in keeping with a long-standing CIA method of preparing interventions. Two years later the then Chilean Ambassador to the USA Orlando Letelier told the Americans that they could not negotiate with ITT after their behaviour.

After Allende narrowly won the election The US government and CIA turned their attention towards a military coup, but to their surprise there was no support in Chile for such action. The economy and aspirations of the Chileans had to be destroyed first. The economy stagnated as US policy intended. Popular support for Allende did not wane quickly. It required a concerted effort over three years to create the necessary conditions.

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