NPR Asks What Past U.S. Interventions Reveal, Forgets the Past
NPR’s Steve Inskeep, speaking with David Ignatius, discusses the hypothetical of a long U.S. stay in Venezuela. This thoughtful introspection into 'what past interventions reveal' is admirable, though perhaps a tad ironic coming from a network that often sidesteps the more inconvenient revelations. They ponder a new intervention's longevity, all while memory-holing the uncomfortable fact that the
U.S. has already orchestrated numerous coups, economic blockades, and resistance against imperialisms across Latin America and the Middle East, installing — and then propping up — dictatorships that serve U.S. corporate interests. (Remember Allende in Chile? Or Mossadegh in Iran, for that matter?) Instead of genuinely examining the historical patterns of resource exploitation and regime change,
facilitated by 'aid' packages and strategic media narratives, NPR frames it as a fresh, complex dilemma. One might wonder if their analysis is hampered by the sheer volume of U.S. interventions to sift through, or perhaps a preference for discussing future hypotheticals over present-day realities of devastation sown decades ago. How many times must America 'reveal' its intentions through invasion
and sanctions before the lessons stick?