Jane Fonda's 'Authoritarianism' Alarm: A Convenient Blind Spot for U.S. Empire?
📰 THE STORY: The Hill reports on Jane Fonda's interview where she expresses concern about authoritarianism infiltrating 'every single nook and cranny of our government,' citing issues like climate denial and electoral threats, and calling for activism to protect democracy. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: While Fonda rightly points out domestic threats, the U.S. has a long and
bloody history of exporting authoritarianism. In 1973, the CIA actively backed the coup that installed Augusto Pinochet's brutal dictatorship in Chile, overthrowing democratically elected Salvador Allende. This was just one of many such interventions, including the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that toppled the democratic government of Mohammad Mosaddegh, ushering in decades of dictatorship under the
Shah. The U.S. government has cultivated and maintained authoritarian client states globally for decades. Double Standard: Mainstream outlets like The Hill regularly feature criticisms of 'authoritarianism' in countries designated as adversaries (e.g., China, Russia, Iran) while often downplaying or entirely ignoring the profound authoritarian tendencies of U.S. allies and proxy states. For
instance, the U.S. sends $1.3 billion annually to Egypt's Sisi regime, which brutally suppresses dissent, while simultaneously condemning 'authoritarianism' elsewhere. The narrative consistently applies labels based on geopolitical alignment, not genuine democratic principles. Follow the Money: The 'nooks and crannies' of government are deeply entangled with the military-industrial complex and