I'd pick the shameful events of Sept. 11, 1973 and it's aftermath.
Nixon and Kissinger gave their tacit approval for the overthrow of the legally elected and popular President of Chile Salvador Allende and on 9-11-1973 the Chilean military under Augusto Pinochet murdered Allende. Pinochet then began a campaign of torture and repression that lasted for years and years. Under Pinochet's regime people who opposed his views were systematically kidnapped, tortured, and murdered.
The question then is why did Pinochet do all this mayhem and murder with the approval and help of the Nixon administration? The answer is that it was done to force a disastrous economic system down the throats of Chileans. This economic system was the brainchild of Milton Friedman and his cronies at the University of Chicago. Chile under Allende was too socialist in their view and there was not enough foreign, i.e. American, corporations doing business in the country, or so Friedman believed. They convinced Pinochet to cut social spending to the bone, to open up all markets to American and European corporations, and to cut price controls on things like food and utilities. They also saw to it that most every business and industry that the Chilean government owned was sold off and privatized.
The people did not want any of this. They wanted Allende and his program of modified socialism. So Pinochet had to use force and torture and intimidation and murder to get the Chicago School plan implemented. Nixon and Kissinger and American corporations like Ford Motor Company and ITT all helped Pinochet rape, murder, torture, and terrorize his people.
The whole sordid story has been laid out in full detail in Naomi Klein's new book The Shock Doctrine. I'm about half way through it and I highly recommend it. I'm not kidding when i say it's probably one of the most important books I have ever read.
Thanks for sending in that question Steph!
I'm answering one question every day in January so send in what ever question you might have. I answer most anything as long as you send it in via email to me at monkeymuckATgmailDOTcom.
