The Durable Exemption for Strategic Allies
Same playbook, different decade: FIRST INSTANCE: The Pinochet Precedent (1988) Following the 1973 US-backed coup in Chile, General Augusto Pinochet maintained power for decades. After his regime's atrocities became undeniable, leading to international legal efforts, US officials consistently intervened to protect him. In 1988, after Pinochet lost a plebiscite to remain in power, the US, while
publicly advocating for democratic transition, maintained a relationship that effectively shielded him from immediate prosecution for human rights abuses (Human Rights Watch, 1999). This established a precedent: strategic allies, even those accused of grave offenses, frequently receive tacit or overt protection from US political structures. REPETITIONS: The Noriega Dilemma (1989) Manuel Noriega,
once a CIA asset in Panama, became an adversary when he no longer served US interests. While the US eventually invaded Panama and brought him to trial for drug trafficking, the years leading up to this point were marked by a prolonged period where Noriega's criminal activities were overlooked due to his utility in US anti-communist operations (National Security Archive, 2005). The selective
application of justice, contingent on geopolitical alignment, is evident. REPETITIONS: The Ariel Sharon Case (1982-2001) Ariel Sharon, implicated by an Israeli commission for indirect responsibility in the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre of 3,500 Palestinians, was never prosecuted by any US or international body despite calls for accountability. The US government maintained robust political and