Your editorial “A wrong turn on Latin arms sales” was a thoughtful response to the chilling announcement that the Clinton administration will lift the ban on selling high-tech weapons to Latin America.
The major block to building democracies in Latin America continues to be military power. Thanks to years of the U.S. giving billions to militaries there for equipment and training as well as overt and covert support, these militias have had absolute power–able to overthrow governments, have leaders installed as corrupt dictators, threaten and bribe leaders to do their bidding and rule with impunity.
The Cold War ended, international pressure of human-rights groups began to build and the U.S. began cutting back on military spending for these military regimes. They have been forced to cooperate or make a show of having free and fair elections. But these countries are far from having a free and open society.
For example, this is the way the new “democracy” is advancing in Guatemala since the peace agreements were signed last Dec. 29. Attempts at justice have been thwarted by the military at all levels. Deaths, death threats, harassment and terrorism have continued, with particular emphasis on judges, lawyers, witnesses in cases involving past military wrongdoing. Student leaders, union spokespersons, families of missing persons and people seeking justice are attacked.
Our government has been responsible for the power given the military in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. Guatemala had a fledgling democracy in the 1950s, but our government decided to overthrow the democratically elected president with a military coup. Guatemala has been suffering ever since. We’ve interfered and upset the balance everywhere in Latin America. It’s time for the citizens of this country to rise up and say “enough!” If Gen. Augusto Pinochet in Chile and other generals want to buy high-tech weaponry, let them buy from someone else.
