The U.S. and The S.O.A.
By John Barkis
In its dealings with foreign nations, the government of the United States has repeatedly rushed past seeking diplomatic solutions to problems and utilized its military superiority or money to achieve the outcome it desires, regardless of civilian casualties that might occur along the way. Time and again, it has violated human rights or contributed to such violations. In some cases, the actions of the government have backfired and an ally that the U.S. was assisting at one point in time to achieve its own ends reverses itself and becomes an enemy. Whether that happens or not, many well-informed citizens are concerned for the welfare of the peoples in other nations and what the United States government is doing to them. In a democracy, where majority rules, issues such as U.S. involvement in human rights violations needs to be brought to the attention of more citizens. For issues pertaining to Latin America, this is all too apparent. It is too often overlooked, yet the U.S. maintains a strong influence on most, if not all, of its nations. All over the world, the United States government uses its influence to achieve its own goals, even when those goals harm the peoples of foreign nations.
The solutions which the U.S. uses to solve its foreign problems are generally temporary and have many negative consequences in the long run. The two most noteworthy occurrences which show these results are the two most difficult issues facing America in the present day. The opponents that the United States now faces were originally assisted by the U.S. during the 1980s. The two foes are Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
Osama bin Laden gained assistance from the CIA in 1979 in what has been called “the largest covert operation in the history of the CIA.”[1] This was during the Cold War period when the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan, causing an uproar by the Afghani people, who began a jihad against the Soviets. In order to stop the spread of Communism, the United States wanted to rid Afghanistan of the Soviets.[2] So, the CIA, using the Pakistan's military Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as a middle-man,2 assisted the Afghani fighters by dramatically increasing arms supplies -- a steady rise to 65,000 tons annually by 1987, by training them in guerrilla techniques, and by maintaining a "ceaseless stream" of CIA and Pentagon specialists who traveled to the secret headquarters of Pakistan's ISI.[3] Using the training, arms, and money given by the United States itself, some of Osama’s followers committed the greatest act of terror the world has ever witnessed on September 11, 2001 by hijacking four commercial airlines and crashing them into select targets.
In the wake of that incident comes the current war on terror. In the middle of that war is Iraq, with Saddam Hussein at the helm. In the early 1980s, Iraq was losing its war with Iran, but the United States desired that Iraq not lose, so President Reagan decided to assist in any way possible. The U.S. supplied the Iraqis with billions of dollars of credits, provided U.S. military intelligence and advice to the Iraqis, and closely monitored third country arms sales to Iraq to make sure that Iraq had the military weaponry that they required. In addition to the government’s assistance, U.S. companies sold more than $1 billion worth of the components needed to build nuclear weapons and diverse types of missiles, including the infamous Scud,[4] and shipped biological materials like Bacillus Anthracis,[5] the cause of anthrax, to Iraq. Then, in 1991, after Saddam had invaded Kuwait, the United States found itself face-to-face with Iraq in Desert Storm.[6] Now, Iraq is suspected of holding weapons of mass destruction and UN weapons inspectors are heading in to examine the situation while the U.S. waits on the verge of war.
What becomes apparent from all this is that the United States government deals with world affairs in a short-sighted manner without paying much attention to the long-term consequences of its actions. In addition, these two events demonstrate the apathy shown by the United States towards human rights in other nations. Nowhere in the world does this present itself more than in Latin America. The relations between the U.S. and the nations of Latin America contain many incidents in which the U.S. knowingly supports or has supported a particular regime or militant group that constantly violates human rights. Some of the most devastating coups in recent history occurred at the hand of the United States, a few of which are listed below.
In the years since World War II, the United States has held an influence in Guatemala that has taken its toll on the people who live there. It began in 1954, when the CIA launched Operation Sherwood in an attempt to oust democratically elected President Arbenz. The $2.7 million Operation resulted in President Arbenz’s resignation, after which the United States installed military general Catillo Armas as the new leader. In the four decades since, Guatemala has been continually run by military dictators with ties to the U.S.[7] During this time, 160,000 Guatemalan citizens have died and 40,000 have “disappeared”.[8]
In 1973, the United States staged a coup in Chile and assassinated democratically elected President Salvador Allende. In his stead, the U.S. installed the dictator Augusto Pinochet. This regime change cost Chile the lives of 5,000 of its citizens.[9]
Just a few years later, in 1977, the Carter administration began its support for the government of El Salvador. Since then, the U.S. government has continued its support despite a constant stream of human rights violations. Since 1980, the United States has given more than $3 billion to the government, despite the fact that over 70,000 El Salvadoran have died at its hands and the known existence of death squads that have murdered many people, including six Jesuit priests and four American church women. In 1980, El Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero wrote to President Carter, requesting that he cut off all military assistance because it promotes the oppression of the people of El Salvador. Weeks later, the Archbishop was assassinated during mass and the people who protested the killling were shot down by the government. The extent to which the U.S. was involved appears in a report issued by a UN truth commission that found that two-thirds of the El Salvadorans convicted of atrocities were trained at the United States' School of the Americas.[10]
In 1989, the United States demanded that Manuel Noriega resign from his post as the president of Panama. However, when Noriega, a CIA agent, disobeyed those orders, the U.S. armed forces invaded Panama and removed him, causing 3,000 civilian casualties in the process.[11]
And, of course, there is the continual “war on drugs,” which focuses on Colombia, the country with the largest number of graduates from the School of the Americas (refer to the table below). During Clinton administration, Congress approved a $1.3 billion aid package for Colombia, where most of the cocaine and opium that reaches the United States originates. Much of this aid was intended for the war on drugs, promoting the military that had been responsible for many human rights violations. Some of the aid had funded the aerial spraying of glyphosate, an herbocide that is supposed to kill coca plants and opium poppies. However, glyphosate harms the crops that the U.S. would like to see grown in place of coca and poppies. Also, officials consider it safe for use in Colombia despite the fact that it carries a warning label about health risks when it is sold in the United States.[12]
The attitude of the United States Government apparent in all of the aforementioned incidents is one of disregard for the peoples of other nations and for the consequences that occur. With an attitude of that sort, it is no surprise that the U.S. Government would create the School of the Americas. Originating in 1946 at Fort Amador, in Panama, as the Latin American Training Center – Ground Division, the school soon moved to Fort Gulick, where it was renamed the U.S. Army Caribbean School and Spanish became its official language. Then, in 1963, the school was re-designated the U.S. Army School of the Americas to reflect its location more accurately. Eventually, in 1984, it was relocated to Fort Benning, GA, where it remains today. Congress changed the name of the School in 2000 to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC).[13]
When the School of Americas was created, its supposed purpose was to promote stability in Latin America. However, Jorge Illuca, the President of Panama when the School was moved to Georgia, called it “the biggest base for destabilization in Latin America” and the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa coined the name "The School of Assassins."[14] Since its opening, soldiers and officers from all over Latin America have graduated from the School, as seen in Figure 1.
USARSA Graduates by Country
Argentina
659
Colombia
9,558
Guatemala
1,552
Peru
4,431
Barbados
1
Costa Rica
2,423
Haiti*
49
Uruguay
1,008
Belize
4
Cuba*
237
Honduras
3,781
United States
1,621
Bolivia
3,845
Dominican Republic
2,559
Mexico
1,461
Venezuela
3,397
Brazil
337
Ecuador
3,399
Nicaragua
4,318
Helicopter School Battalion
1,765
Chile
3,355
El Salvador
6,609
Panama
3,631
Total Number of Graduates as of July 1, 1999
61,034
* NOTE: Cuba and Haiti have not been authorized to send students to SOA since 1959 & 1961 because of sanctions.Figure 1
Because of the actions of many of these graduates, the school has come under heavy protest by concerned citizens here in the United States. The major focal point of their concern is that $4-5 million[15] of taxpayer money are being spent on the deaths and the oppression of many people all over Latin America. The most notable incident, if only because it spawned the organization of these protests, occurred in El Salvador on November 16, 1989. Six Jesuit priests were murdered by, as was discovered after the investigation, graduates from the School of the Americas. The concern did not lie purely in the fact that they had graduated from the School, but that some of what they did was actually taught to them at the School. Protestors of the School claimed that the students were learning the skills they needed to perfect their methods of torture, extortion, kidnapping, execution, assassination, terrorism, and the list goes on. In 1994, the School had come under enough heat that it was forced to publicly remove some manuals from its curriculum that indeed contained such teachings. However, the protestors are not convinced that that is enough or that the School has ceased to teach these atrocities to its students.[16]
After the 1989 massacre of the six Jesuit priests, Father Roy Bourgeois and his colleagues formed the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW), the organization that has brought protestors together every November (to commemorate the anniversary of the priests) for the past 12 years at Fort Benning in order to protest the School’s continued existence. This past year, an estimated 12,000 individuals showed up to show their support for the School’s closing. They marched toward the base carrying coffins, exclaiming the names of individuals who fell victim to SOA graduates and shouting “presente.” Most of these victims are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by SOA graduates. The SOAW members believe that, because of these human rights violations, the School must be closed down.[17]
However, the School of the Americas is a controversial institution that has people arguing for both sides of the debate on whether or not to close it. Joe Reeder, former Undersecretary of the Army, claimed, "SOA instruction focuses on the role of the military professional in a democratic society.”[18] And, according to the official website of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, “[WHINSEC’s] goals explicitly include strengthening democracy, instilling a respect for the rule of law and honoring human rights.”[19] Countering these statements, however, are Charles Call of the Washington Office on Latin America and Major Joseph Blair, a former instructor at the SOA. Major Blair claims, "In three years (1986-89) at the School I never heard of such lofty goals as promoting freedom, democracy or human rights.”[20] And, according to Mr. Call, “In spite of the new language about human rights and democracy, U.S. trainers appear to pay only lip service to these goals.”[21] So, it would appear that, from Major Blair’s statement, the School of the Americas did not attempt to prevent its graduates from violating human rights once they returned to their respective countries. It also appears that Mr. Call considers the WHINSEC statement to be political rhetoric that is being used to improve the image of the School. But, after seeing the attitude that the United States government tends to have towards Latin American nations, it is difficult to believe that it would have changed so dramatically when the School of the Americas was created.
Although it is difficult to reach a conclusion to a problem such as this, the only proper way in a democracy would be to allow the majority to decide. But, before that could ever happen, the public would have to be made more aware of the issue and the arguments on both sides. However, the School of the Americas has been held with as much secrecy as it can be. It should be brought to public attention and discussed in a public forum so that people will know what is going on. Only then can they have informed consent, a necessity in decision making that is often overlooked.
Bibliography
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[1] Halliday, Fred. "The Un-great game: the Country that lost the Cold War, Afghanistan, New Republic, 25 March 1996).
[2] Chossudovsky, Michel. “Who Is Osama Bin Laden?” http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html (12 September 2001).
[3] Coll, Steve. “Anatomy of a Victory: CIA's Covert Afghan War.” Washington Post. 19 July 1992, A1.
[4] “1982: U.S. provides billions in aid to Saddam Hussein for weapons to kill Iranians.” Official website of Bowling for Columbine. http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/wonderful/iraq2.php (2002).
[5] Blum, William. “Antrhax for Export.” The Progressive. April 1998.
[6] “Operation Desert Storm.” http://www.desert-storm.com/War/.
[7] ”1954: U.S. overthrows democratically-elected President Arbenz of Guatemala. 200,000 civilians killed.” Official website of Bowling for Columbine. http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/wonderful/gmala.php (2002).
[8] “Guatemalan Death Squad Dossier Uncovered.” http://www.gwu.edu/%7Ensarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB15/press.html (5 May 1999).
[9] “What a Wonderful World.” Official website of Bowling for Columbine. http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/wonderful/index.php (2002).
[10] “1977: U.S. backs military rulers of El Salvador. 70,000 Salvadorans and four American nuns killed.” Official website of Bowling for Columbine. http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/wonderful/elsalvador.php (2002).
[11] “What a Wonderful World.” Official website of Bowling for Columbine. http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/wonderful/index.php (2002).
[12] Editors of the Foreign Policy Association. Citizen’s Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy. New York: Foreign Policy Association, Inc, 2000.
[13] “USARSA History.” Official website of the U.S. Army School of the Americas. http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/usarsa/main.htm.
[14] Bourgeois, Father Roy. “School of Assassin.” http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/sept94bourgeois.htm (1994).
Figure 1 “USARSA Graduates by Country.” Official website of the U.S. Army School of the Americas.
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/usarsa/main.htm.
[15] Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Home Page. http://www-benning.army.mil/whinsec.
[16] School of the Americas Watch Home Page. htttp://www.soaw.org.
[17] School of the Americas Watch Home Page. htttp://www.soaw.org.
[18] The Washington Post. 23 May 1994.
[19] Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Home Page. http://www-benning.army.mil/whinsec/faq.htm.
[20] Bourgeois, Father Roy. “School of Assassin.” http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/sept94bourgeois.htm (1994).
[21] Bourgeois, Father Roy. “School of Assassin.” http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/sept94bourgeois.htm (1994).