The War on Democracy - Movie Review Example

number John Pilger’s documentary d The War on Democracy reveals thetypical empire based mindset of the United States and its effects on Latin American governance. Pilger starts out with the recent case of Venezuela. The current regime in Venezuela under Hugo Chavez is concentrating on empowering the poor masses. The political power over the Venezuelan oil economy is shifting away from the elite to the helpless masses. The documentary relates that Venezuela is the third largest oil supplier to the United States. Given Venezuela’s strategic importance to the United States, it was a matter of concern that the pro-Washington and pro-Miami groups in Venezuela were being pushed to the wall. Hugo Chavez’s democratically elected rule was ousted in a pre-planned coup d’etat after protests. Venezuela’s capital, Caracas saw protests on the 11th of April, 2002. Pro-government and anti-government protestors lined the streets of the capital. Protestors from both sides were purposefully allowed to clash with each other. Anti-government protestors backed by the media barons dramatized the loss of life as pro-government based state violence. Bought out factions of the military and the police worsened the situation. Uniformed military members took out a public statement demanding Chavez’s resignation and a change of regime. It was later revealed by a CNN correspondent in Caracas that it was all preplanned and that the military leaders’ statements had been recorded on the night of 10th April 2002. Renegade officers made a coup attempt on the night of 11th April 2002 outside the Presidential Palace. However, the President refused to resign and went into hiding. The media announced Chavez’s resignation although no such move had been made. On the orning of 12th April 2002, Pedro Comino, a businessman, was sworn in as the new President without any elections. The American media and White House spokespersons supported the anti Chavez picture. However, the Venezuelan masses took offensively to the new plutocratic government. Massive people protests ensued and hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans surrounded the presidential palace. With the people’s support, the Presidential Guard retook the presidential palace again. Chavez sees the 2002 coup d’etat as the acid test of democracy where the poor masses took to the streets in order to defend Chavez and democracy. The US government not only knew about the coup but it also backed the coup through covert funding under the umbrella of U. S. Aid and the National Endowment for Democracy. Some 2 million dollars were distributed in order to make the coup a success. The Venezuelan situation makes it clear that the government of the United States protects its interest at the cost of everything else. Latin American politics was and has been United States centric. Moves in Washington to protect American interests on the South American continent, the Central American region and the Caribbean are undeniable. The United States has benefited from the cheap oil, gas and other mineral wealth from these regions but the people of these regions have suffered without a doubt. The rising poverty levels, the hoards of people living below the poverty line and the dictatorial governments supported by the United States have all made the situation worse. The intrusion of the United States government in Latin American political affairs is not new by any means. The CIA removed the Albeniz government in Guatemala in the fifties. The CIA and anti-government factions ran an all out political and military campaign to oust and exile the President. After the ouster, U. S. Vice President Richard Nixon flew into Guatemala to congratulate the new dictator. This is comparable to the Espionage activities diverted against Cuba soon after Castro’s revolution. The four and a half decades long economic war against Cuba by the United States is unquestionable. The ordinary people in Cuba have suffered more than the Castro regime but the United States is unwilling to deescalate the situation. Perhaps the bloodiest South American revolution came in the case of Chile. The CIA backed Augusto Pinchot’s takeover of the Chilean government. However, Henry Kissinger denied any involvement in the Chilean coup. Recently declassified documents and diplomatic cables reveal the involvement of the US in the Chilean coup d’etat. The massive torture schemes and the hundreds of thousands of Chileans eliminated by death squads all point to the CIA’s involvement. The heartless and somewhat Nazi like fascist tactics used in Chile opened the world’s eyes to the savage brutality that Chileans had to live with every single day. By the eighties, most regimes in South America were dictatorial and supported by the United States. A training camp at Georgia known as School of The Americas was used to train South Americans in military tactics, torture techniques etc. Death squads were a specialty that were used to silence opposition. Most death squads blamed for mindless violence against unarmed people in South America originate from the School of the Americas. The linkages between American government establishment and brutal South American regimes became clear. This prompted changes in American foreign policy and manipulation of the regimes supported by the United States. The contention was manipulation and total control although under the banner of democracy. The nineties saw changes in the policy of the US government to support plutocratic democracies in place of dictatorships. This came around since the latter were seen as being unfavorable to US rapport around the world. However, the policy mix remained the same to achieve similar objectives. Economic interests in line with American economic interests were kept supreme in all of these supported regimes such as in Bolivia. In the last decade, Bolivia forced its American sponsored dictator to leave the country. The dictator, popularly known as Gony, now lives in self-exile in Washington. The exodus of myriad dictators from South America and neighboring regions despite American support point in one direction – liberation. People around the Latin American region are waking up to their peculiar national needs. Political struggle has been in the air in Latin America for long enough. People are utilizing the oppression of elitist classes supported by Washington and their temerity to liberate their interests from those of the American empire. Bibliography The War on Democracy. Dir. John Pilger. 2009. Video. Read More