Turning the tide- The US and latin america, Noam Chomsky

Noam chomsky 

• NOAM CHOMSKY IS A RENOWNED AMERICAN LINGUIST, PHILOSOPHER, COGNITIVE SCIENTIST, HISTORIAN, SOCIAL CRITIC, AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST. HE IS WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INTELLECTUALS OF THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES.

OVERVIEW OF KEY THEMES

• U.S. HEGEMONY AND THE MONROE DOCTRINE

• SUPPORT FOR DICTATORSHIPS

• COUNTERINSURGENCY AND COVERT OPERATIONS •

• ECONOMIC INTERESTS AND EXPLOITATION

• MEDIA AND IDEOLOGICAL CONTROL

U.S. HEGEMONY AND THE MONROE DOCTRINE

ROOTED IN THE MONROE DOCTRINE (1823)

• JUSTIFIED U.S. DOMINANCE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

• SEEN AS A TOOL FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTROL IN LATIN AMERICA

• SET THE STAGE FOR INTERVENTIONS THROUGHOUT THE 20TH CENTURY

SUPPORT FOR AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES

U.S. BACKED RIGHT-WING DICTATORSHIPS DURING THE COLD WAR

• FOCUS ON MAINTAINING CONTROL AND SUPPRESSING DEMOCRACY

• KEY EXAMPLES: EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, AND NICARAGUA

• POLICIES JUSTIFIED BY THE FIGHT AGAINST COMMUNISM

Case Study: El Slavador

U.S. SUPPORTED MILITARY REGIME AGAINST LEFTIST REBELS

• EXTENSIVE USE OF MILITARY AID AND COUNTERINSURGENCY TACTICS

• HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES COMMITTED BY U.S.-BACKED FORCES

• HIGHLIGHT CHOMSKY’S CRITIQUE OF THE HYPOCRISY IN U.S. RHETORIC

COUNTERINSURGENCY AND COVERT OPERATIONS

• U.S. EMPLOYED COVERT ACTIONS TO DESTABILIZE LEFTIST MOVEMENTS

•TECHNIQUES: PROPAGANDA, MILITARY SUPPORT, AND DIRECT INTERVENTION

•EXAMPLE: U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN THE NICARAGUAN CONTRA WAR

•MAINTAINING INFLUENCE UNDER THE GUISE OF FIGHTING COMMUNISM

ECONOMIC INTERESTS AND EXPLOITATION

U.S. POLICY DRIVEN BY CORPORATE INTERESTS AND ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION

•EMPHASIS ON PROTECTING U.S. CORPORATIONS OPERATING IN LATIN AMERICA

•LOCAL ELITES ALIGNED WITH U.S. INTERESTS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE POPULATION

•SOCIAL UNREST OFTEN TIED TO DEMANDS FOR LAND REFORM AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE

MEDIA AND IDEOLOGICAL CONTROL

CHOMSKY CRITIQUES THE ROLE OF U.S. MEDIA IN SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION

•MEDIA TENDED TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT NARRATIVES

• DOWNPLAYED ATROCITIES BY U.S.-BACKED REGIMES WHILE VILIFYING LEFTIST MOVEMENTS

•THE MEDIA SERVED AS A TOOL FOR IDEOLOGICAL CONTROL OVER THE PUBLIC

•CHOMSKY CRITIQUES THE ROLE OF U.S. MEDIA IN SHAPING U.S. INTERVENTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA WERE ABOUT CONTROL, NOT DEMOCRACY

•POLICIES OFTEN RESULTED IN VIOLENCE, AUTHORITARIANISM, AND ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION

• RHETORIC OF FREEDOM MASKED THE TRUE GOALS OF MAINTAINING HEGEMONY AND PROTECTING ECONOMIC INTERESTS PUBLIC OPINION

•-MEDIA TENDED TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT NARRATIVES

•-**DOWNPLAYED ATROCITIES** BY U.S.-BACKED REGIMES WHILE VILIFYING LEFTIST MOVEMENTS

•-THE MEDIA SERVED AS A TOOL FOR IDEOLOGICAL CONTROL OVER THE PUBLIC

Chomsky’s conclusions

• U.S. INTERVENTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA WERE ABOUT CONTROL, NOT DEMOCRACY •POLICIES OFTEN RESULTED IN VIOLENCE, AUTHORITARIANISM, AND ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION • RHETORIC OF FREEDOM MASKED THE TRUE GOALS OF MAINTAINING HEGEMONY AND PROTECTING ECONOMIC INTERESTS

• THE OVERARCHING NARRATIVE OF THE BOOK IS ONE OF A U.S. FOREIGN POLICY THAT PRIORITIZES THE MAINTENANCE OF POWER AND CONTROL OVER THE WELL-BEING OF INDIVIDUALS IN CENTRAL AMERICA, THE DOCUMENT PROVIDES A SOBERING ACCOUNT OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF U.S. INTERVENTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA, EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR GREATER AWARENESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY REGARDING THESE HISTORICAL AND ONGOING INJUSTICES