NationStates Jolt Archive

On a visit to Guatemala this morning President Lincoln apologized for America's role in propping up Right Wing Latin American dictators who tortured and killed hundreds of thousands of their own people. During the height of the cold war against the Soviet Union, the US, fearful of communists setting up camp in its own backyard, gave a lot of aid and support to Latin America's genocidal dictators the most notorious being Pinochet. Since the end of the cold war, relations between the US and Latin America have been strained over the issue. Many Latin Americans are bitter about the US role and the US had always said it had the right to do what it did.
Officials also noted that the US role in the region during that period had to be looked at in context of what was happening at the time, which was the threat of a Soviet invasion of the US from Latin America if LA was allowed to go communist. Because of that, the US had to support ungamely regimes.

President Lincoln is on a diplomatic tour of Latin America and has pledged to provide $5 billion in aid to Guatemala's impoverished government. Aids say the President intends to propose a total of $25 billion in aid for impoverished Latin American nations.

Official Announcement from the Free Havenic Republic of Kahanistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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The Government of Kahanistan is forced to rethink its image of your people as arrogant, backward savages.

While we are a socialist republic, we are by no means communist, though we respect the right of communist states to choose their own policy so long as the human rights of the nation's citizens are respected and the nation does not resort to Soviet-style imperialism. We are pleased to note that one more nation no longer sees itself as having the right to rule the world.

May this regime change show the world that the USA no longer sees itself as the world's pre-eminent lord and master.

Signed,
Rachel C. Levitt,
Minister of Foreign Affairs

The United States views our fellow nations as equal brothers at the same table.
However we will assist those who are our friends and we will stand against those who oppose freedom and justice.
In the pursuit of these goals, Americans may make policy mistakes but we will eventually correct those mistakes. Our new policy toward Latin America is one such correction.

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Republic of Thresh
Ministry of State

To whom it may concern:

The Republic of Thresh is greatly disappointed in the actions of the United States in this matter. Whenever a nation is fighting the terror of Communism, be it at home or abroad, that nation must do everything in its power to win. As it is often said, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Communism is to great a threat to be dealt with without the loss of life - and Thresh feels that if life is to be lost, it should not be in vain.

By apologizing for her actions, the United States of America is not only showing weakness, but is saying that those who died at the hands of the "right wing Latin American dictators" lost their lives for nothing. Any threat must be met head on, and with no regret. The Free World must stand up, and in one united voice, declare to the Communist regimes that we will not go quietly into the night; we will not perish without a fight.

Signed,

Minister of State Coarsen J. Thresh

The United States agrees. We oppose all forms of dictatorship, not just right wing dictatorships. That is why we fought the cold war against communism. Communism is just as evil and corrupt as right wing extremism. Both engage in persecution of political opponents and both have engaged in mass murders against their own peoples.
The United States will not support any type of dictatorship or government which oppresses its own people. Nor will we trade with such governments.

The President is in Chile today, where he met with Chile's socialist President.
The two agreed to strengthen ties between the two countries. Chilean President Andrea Gayleworth rejected the notion of Chile joining a Western Hemisphere Free Trade Pact that President Lincoln is advocating, on the grounds that past FTP's have been dominated by the US and abused by US corporations.
While saying the US will respect Chile's soverign right to decide its own international trade policies, Lincoln said he disagreed with her assessment of free trade pacts but recognizes her decision is the result of past experience with previous free trade agreements which were abused by corporations. The new agreement would require corporations in the US and elsewhere to abide by host nation laws and regulations for their respective industries.
The US Senate is still debating the merits of such an agreement.
Meantime, President Lincoln has pledged a $10 billion package for the families of Chileans who killed by US Special Ops forces who were helping Augusto Pinochet during the 80's. He said the amount was a small pennance.
President Lincoln had apologized for US military activities in the region that had occured in the 80's.