The School of the Americas

School of the Americas

            The Cuban embargo blockade is one of the most famous example of North American reaction to a small and less economically developed country that practiced its right to deny foreign intervention and control. As an American, I believe that North Americans are always introduced to history through the biased lens of nationalism. Students are often introduced to the holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and Pearl Harbor to name a few examples, but never bringing to light the many instances in which North America has been related to, funded, or has been responsible for events in Latin America that has led to much bloodshed.

The school of the Americas, whose ironic name suggests American unity, is in truth related to the contrary; violence, oppression, massacre, and dictatorship are facilitated through the education of this school. Throughout history, United States has intervened explicitly or implicitly within Latin American affairs and the school of the Americas is one salient example of North American influence and abuse of power that is often ignored or unheard of. 

A total of 11 dictators have attended The School of the Americas. Some of the most infamous graduates from the School of the Americas (SAO) are dictator Efrain Rios Montt and Argentine dictator Leopoldo Galterieri. Galterieri was the Dictator and the head of the Death squad Intelligence Battalion during the “Dirty War” in which 10 to 30 thousand subversives “disappeared”. Efrain Rios Montt is known for the charge of indigenous genocide by the United Nations, which devastated the Mayan people during his reign. In effort to debilitate guerilla support, Montt deliberately killed indigenous communities because he believed they were supportive of the guerrillistas resulting in the destruction of nearly 600 villages. Montt’s campaign against the indigenous resulted in 10,000 of indigenous deaths and it is estimated 100,000 indigenous displaced.

            Graduates and military officers who have attended the School of the Americas uphold the notorious reputation of massacre and abuse of human rights throughout Central and South America. Most of the Dictators have been supported by United States depending on what financial interest and investments were involved. In the case of Montt, his effort to stop the rebels was in effort to stop “the spread of communism” which was easily labeled onto countries whose goals were to improve conditions of the workers and nationalization of natural resources during the paranoid era of the cold war.

             There are numerous examples in which North American relations with Latin America have resulted in the overthrow of government and implementation of dictatorships. American investments in Latin American countries have led to inhumane working conditions and monopolization of land resulting in poverty of and decline in the self-sustained agricultural cultures. American companies have a history of editing financial information in order to pay a percentage of taxes that is required of them in an already lenient agreement. And last but not least if American investment has ever been threatened by a government agent in a Latin American country, the United States has been quick to supply arms and collaborate in an attack of state.

I wonder if the history of US intervention south of the boarder isn’t typically taught in history classes because of the big debate on immigration laws. If more Americans knew that part of history maybe they would understand the immigrant’s plight more clearly.

  

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/nov/18/us-military-usa

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Terrorism/SOA.html