"One of the delightful things about Americans is that they have absolutely no historical memory." --Chou En-lai, former Chinese premier
We never hear about it in the media, but there's a reason for it: if the American people knew what was being carried out in their names, they'd definitely want to put the nation through some serious changes.
"I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all members of the military profession I never had an original thought until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.
"Thus I helped make Mexico, and especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenue in. I helped in the raping of half-a-dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers and Co. in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras "right" for American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
"During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. I was rewarded with honors, medals, and promotion. Looking back on it, I feel that I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate a racket in three city districts. The Marines operated on three continents." --General Smedley Butler, 1935
Nothing scares those in government more than democracy--it scared the Founding Fathers, and continues to alarm policy makers today.
Following contains material excerpted from
Definitely give it a read if you get the chance.
Well, first and foremost the US collaborated with "former" Nazis and Fascists to help fight the threat posed by socialism. Anticommunism really determined US foreign and domestic policy for the next 50 years and cost countless people their lives, their liberty, and their pursuit of happiness.
I will attempt to document these incidents, but it is up to the readers to research them on their own if so inclined, as there are so many wrongs carried out by the US in the name of 'democracy' and 'freedom' that I can't hope to give them a full treatment here or do justice to the victims.
The best I can do here is at least bring these shadow campaigns out in the open; in the US, information which contradicts official policy proclamations is simply ignored by the "free" press, "unworthy" of getting attention in the press (contrasted with extensive coverage of "important" news like the O.J. Simpson trial)
Assuming the track record of the US is not brushed aside any further than it already has been, history will not look kindly on the "American way", and the American people with any sense will be properly outraged at the manifold crimes perpetuated in their name.
The US reacts with lethal aggression against any nationalist movements, even those which are not even leftist in nature (leftists are automatically attacked and undermined in US foreign policy). In US "national security" speak, a "leftist" is anyone who deviates from US policy. It was in this way that even anti-communists who dared step "out of line" (e.g., put their nations' interests over obedience to the US) were whacked!
The question you need to ask is what do assassinations and coups have in common with democracy??? "Democracy" in the US sense of the word means "capitalism." Anything that deviates from pursuing a capitalist agenda is "antidemocratic" in the US sense of the word.
Example: The average arable land distribution in the Third World is this: 3% of the populace (the ruling elite) own 80% of arable land. That means that 97% of the populace of the Third and Fourth World nations are effectively deprived.
Not surprisingly, land reform (in the true sense of the word, meaning "bringing about needed change") is one of the biggest issues in the Third and Fourth World nations. All socialist movements address this very real problem, hence their popularity with the people.
Now, the propertarians (e.g., capitalists) of the regimes in question oppose ANY change in land ownership, because it would cut into their profit, privilege, and power base--nothing threatens a ruling elite like equality and justice!
So, when socialists (or even moderate nationalists) try to bring about land reform to alleviate the crushing poverty of their people, this immediately gets the attention of the US, which then intervenes with deadly force to defend the "freedom" of the landowning elites of the world to enjoy their profits without fear of expropriation.
The US defines that 3% landowning elite as "the people" and ignores the other 97% of the populace. That's how the US policymakers can pretend that they are defending "democracy" and "freedom"--they only count the ruling elite as the populace; this is because, in capitalist society, only those who own property matter! The rest of us are fodder!
The gross disparity of land ownership is unnatural. Thus, the US supports genocidal fascist regimes to terrorize the 97% of the populations into submission; some more recalcitrant people need to be outright pulverized (Vietnam's 2 million + dead at our hands is the biggest, but not only, example) for them to stay "in their place".
It is for this reason that the US provides 43% of the world's arms (we are the largest arms dealer in the world). The client regimes around the globe are not popular (e.g., not supported by the majority of the people), but are elitist, and the democratic spirit of the peoples in question can only be held at bay through constant and brutal use of force.
The "New World Order" is held together with blood, razorwire, and lots of guns in the defense of wealthy ruling elites at the expense of most of the world's people. This is what passes for "democracy" in American policy.
Does this match your own thoughts as to what "democracy" is and should be?
It is important to note that these despots are not "allies" of the US so much as pawns. Thus, when they no longer are useful or become troublesome (as Manuel Noriega and Saddam Hussein recently demonstrated), the US will not hasten to oust or assassinate them (or attempt to do so).
Ask yourself what supporting fascists can POSSIBLY have to do with democracy?!
The reason behind this insane policy is business: it's easier to plunder nations under the rule of petite dictators (and give them their cut, their "piece of the action") than it is to deal with developing nations looking after their own interests.
The "freedom" the US is defending is the freedom to pillage, loot, and plunder Third and Fourth World nations at the expense of their native populations!
Since this policy devastates the nations in question, only elite, militaristic fascist rulers can keep the people of these nations from acting in their own best interests! Thus, the US spends enormous sums of taxpayer money propping these unpopular dictators.
Below is a partial list of neo- or outright fascists that the US has funded and supported in defense of property: (the US has supported so many, it's going to take me time to list them all!)