Sponsored Terrorism in Chile - Essay Example

Chile: US Sponsored Terrorism Making an informed decision on whether a nation is guilty of sponsored terrorism dictates that theiractions be evaluated on an individual basis and in context with international conventions. Aggressive political activity by a powerful state will always be labeled as a terrorist act by someone who feels oppressed by the action, even though it may be legitimate. In addition, it needs to be determined whether the nation's action in the specified period meets the standard for waging war, or if it could be considered an act of humanitarian aid or simply political intervention. Intervention for the purpose of toppling an oppressive dictatorship can reach the level of legitimacy in some extreme situations. The CIA's covert actions during the two decades of 1970-1989 can be viewed as a coordinated assault on the socialist movement within Chile. The Cold War mentality had made Washington overly sensitive to socialist movements in this hemisphere as evidenced by their reaction to, and covert involvement in, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In an attempt to thwart any influence of socialism in Chile the US embarked on a multi prong operation over a period of twenty years. The aims of this action were to influence the elections, disseminate propaganda, disrupt the economy, foment an overthrow of Allende in 1973, encourage Allende's assassination, and repress the socialist movement through covert cooperation with the Direccin de Inteligencia Naciona (DINA). Recently declassified documents verify that these actions were taken as a coordinated effort that was financed and sponsored by the US government. The unrealistic fear of the spread of socialism resulted in a series on actions taken by the CIA in Chile that escalated from political intervention to a clear cut case of state sponsored terrorism. The acts of supplying weapons to the opposition, encouraging violence, and supporting the murder of political adversaries defines the US activity in Chile as an armed intervention and an act of war, which can not be ethically justified. Interference in the democratic process is highly unethical and unacceptable in any situation, though may not rise to the level of a strict definition of terrorism. However, any unilateral armed conflict into the affairs of another nation that is not supported by a regional or international governing body must meet certain moral guidelines, or be labeled as terrorism. The just war theory contends that armed intervention can be justified if certain criteria are met. Coady argues that the ethics of a just war, "insists not only on the justice of the cause for which the war is conducted, but also on certain other restrictive conditions" (p.19). For example, the cost in human suffering resulting from the action must not exceed the amount of suffering that already exists. In addition, alternatives need to be explored, exhausted, and deemed unworkable. If the US had only immorally interfered in the elections, it could be seen as merely as a transgression of international ethics or possibly law. If lying during a campaign, illegal contributions, and voter suppression were acts of terrorism, our own two major parties would be guilty. However, many of the initial unjustifiable actions of the US in Chile did meet the criteria for unilateral state sponsored terrorism. As has been noted, interference in the free elections of a democratic process is immoral and unacceptable, but does not induce the fear and random violence required to be defined as terrorism. However, the extent of the US involvement and the unreasonable intrusion into Chile's democracy need to be examined to put the rest of the US activities into historical context. During the 1964 election, the CIA mounted an extensive anti-Allende propaganda campaign and funneled as much as $20 million dollars to the campaign of his opponent Eduardo Frei (Kim 30). The financing, and some 15 covert action projects, assured Frei an easy victory with 56 percent of the vote (Kim 30). Though Frei may have won the election without the aid of the US support, the margin of victory gave the Chilean people a false sense of public support for Frei. In the 1968 congressional elections, the CIA undertook numerous covert actions and were responsible for the election of nine candidates and the defeat of as many as thirteen leftist candidates (Kim 30). However, these clandestine efforts would backfire on the CIA inspired election rigging, because "On one hand, the rhetoric of Frei's program ("a revolution in liberty") raised expectations far beyond his capacity to satisfy them and provoked a sharp movement to the left within his own party; yet on the other, his steadfast adherence to such Alliance goals as tax and land reforms alienated conservatives who had voted for him in 1964 only as the lesser of two evils" (Falcoff 836). During the 1970 elections, the State Department did not officially back any candidate, but engaged in "spoiling operations - massive propaganda and 'scare' campaigns - against Allende" (Kim 31). However, the US efforts could not overcome the popularity of the leftist Allende, and the unpopularity of the opposition, and he won the election and was confirmed by the congress. After ten years, the CIA's efforts to interfere with the political structure in Chile had resulted in the socialist movement consolidating its hold in Chile. The unethical behavior of the US government had not succeeded, and desperate Cold War fears prompted the Nixon White House to take more extreme and violent measures. After the election of 1970 the US government escalated their pressure against Allende in an attempt to derail his ascension to the presidency. During the fall election and the confirmation by congress, the CIA would orchestrate an anti-Allende campaign that would rise to the definition of state terrorism. These acts would include injecting chaos into the economy through banking pressure, arming the opposition, inciting an atmosphere of fear, and facilitating the eventual assassination of Allende. Disrupting the economy and sending it into chaos would serve to discredit the economic policies of Allende and socialism in general. According to Kim, "the Nixon administration moved quietly and quickly to shut down multilateral and bilateral foreign aid to Chile, intervening at the World Bank, IDB, and the Export-Import Bank to curtail or terminate credits and loans to Chile" (34). These actions distorted an already struggling economy and "US-choreographed blockade programs played a critical role in disabling the dynamic Chilean economy" (Kim 36). These actions were a direct intervention into the livelihood and well being of the Chilean citizenry and provoked deeper and more widespread economic suffering. The fear and panic that was created by the disruption of the economy was further fuelled by the CIA's interjection into the free press of Chile. Before the Chilean congress has certified the election of Allende the CIA mounted a propaganda campaign that took control of El Morcurio, the largest opposition newspaper, planted twenty-three journalist/agents, financed a new newspaper, and disseminated anti-Allende propaganda by way of direct mail and radio broadcasts (Report on Chilean Task Force Activities). These actions caused a growing sense of fear within Chile and distorted world opinion of Allende and the press. It would also legitimize further violence by the opposition and motivated them to become more militant. According to a recently declassified document, "it did keep the voice of public opposition alive inside Chile for coup purposes during the final weeks of this period" (Report on Chilean Task Force Activities). To incite violence that results in a death, more importantly a world leader, can only be viewed through the perspective that it is an act of state terrorism. In the period leading up to the military coup and the assassination of Allende, the US government, and corporations through the CIA, were deeply involved in the promotion of violence against the leftist government. They had supplied arms to the opposition, encouraged a coup, and legitimized the activities by being a de facto force of authority. According to Kim, the CIA provided machine guns and grenades to the ultra-rightist military group who kidnapped Chilean Army Commander Rene Schneider, whose respect for constitutionalism was viewed as an obstacle for the military coup" (41). Though the CIA has denied direct involvement with the assassination, and evidence has not been forthcoming, that in and of itself does not absolve the CIA from the charge of terrorism. CIA leadership, "acknowledged the difficulty of drawing a firm line between monitoring coup plotting and becoming involved in it. It also realized that the U.S. government's desire to be in clandestine contract with military plotters, for whatever purpose, might well imply to them U.S. support for their future plans" (Church). In addition, the CIA was enlisting the financial backing of major US corporations that were doing business in Chile, such as ITT that donated $1 million dollars to the clandestine cause (Church). The eventual terrorist assassination of Allende was an act of state condoned terrorism that had been given legitimacy by the support of the US government. The assassination had set the stage for the seventeen year reign of US supported terrorism at the hands of General Pinochet. According to de Zarate, "The climate of uncertainty and chaos of the last weeks and months of the government of the UP strengthened the most anticommunist sectors of the armed forces and weakened the position of constitutionalist officers bent on a more peaceful solution". (186). Widespread brutality and the murder of thousands of opposition party members and innocent people characterized the brutal regime that was supported and financed by the US and the CIA. The deep involvement of the US government makes it complicit in this clear case of state terrorism. In conclusion, the CIA's involvement in Chile began as a political intervention in an effort to influence the outcome of a free democratic election. While these activities were clearly unethical and possibly in violation of international law, they did not rise to the level of terrorism. However, the interjection of our opposition consolidated the socialist movement and gave the conflict legitimacy. As the results of our actions became more destined for failure, the CIA raised the level of financing, participation, and violence. They financed the opposition, supplied arms, and encouraged a coup. When Allende was assassinated, it was done by the de facto support that the US had used to give the action credence. Pinochet, the hand-picked successor, continued the legacy of violence, murder, and repression. What had begun as voter fraud ended in a decades long state sponsored terrorist action against a free and democratic society. Works Cited Church, Frank, ed. The Church Committee Report. Washington, DC: Senate Select Committee, 1975. 21 Oct. 2008 . Coady, C A. The Ethics of Armed Humanitarian Intervention. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2002. de Zarate, Veronica. "Terrorism and Political Violence during the Pinochet Years: Chile, 1973-1989." Radical History Review 85.1 (2003): 182-90. Falcoff, Mark. "Chile: The Dilemma for U.S. Policy." Foreign Affairs 64.4 (1986): 833-48. Kim, Jaechun. "A Democratic Peace and Covert War: A Case Study of the US Covert War in Chile." Journal of International and Area Studies 12.1 (2005): 25-47. "Report on Chilean Task Force Activities." Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents relating to the Military Coup, 1970-1976. 18 Nov. 1970. National Security Archives. 21 Oct. 2008 . Read More