Pentagon's 'Pivot' to Latin America: Same Empire, New Target
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera reports that the Pentagon's latest National Defense Strategy is shifting focus away from China as the immediate primary threat, instead prioritizing the Western Hemisphere. The official line suggests a change in strategic emphasis, implying a recalibration of U.S. military and diplomatic efforts. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The 'pivot' to the
Western Hemisphere is not a new or benign development. This region has been subject to U.S. imperial interventions for over a century, often under the guise of national security. In 1898, the U.S. intervened in Cuba, leading to the Spanish-American War. In 1954, the CIA orchestrated a coup in Guatemala for the United Fruit Company. In 1973, the U.S. backed Pinochet's brutal coup in Chile. More
recently, in 2002, the U.S. supported a failed coup against Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and in 2019, played a role in the lithium coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia. The so-called 'Monroe Doctrine' has been a thinly veiled justification for continuous interference, economic exploitation, and backing of authoritarian regimes throughout Latin America. Double Standard: While U.S. defense strategists
frame China as an 'existential threat' when it expands its economic influence through initiatives like the Belt and Road, any U.S. military or economic 'pivot' to Latin America is presented as a measure to ensure 'stability' or 'regional security.' When China buys ports in Sri Lanka, it's 'debt-trap diplomacy' and a security concern. When the U.S. funds military coups and installs puppet regimes