Re: CIA/SOA CONNECTION
Victor O. Story (story@kutztown.edu)
Fri, 14 Apr 1995 10:26:00 -0500
I appreciated the comments of Carlos in response to my post on
SOA. It is delightful to have some discussion that is friendly and
constructive. In regards to his correlation of national military elites
to creoles, however, I think he overlooks the 20th century transition in
the military in LA to a more populist position in some cases - in other
words, I do not disagree with his examples, but there are others. Much
of the land reform in Bolivia was achieved in this century by the
military. In Argentina, the descamisados found their hero in Peron, a
populist military leader. So the Creole argument is too simple. It is
not for nothing that we find the military that is the most reactionary in
the smaller countries, such as in Central America, where market
underdevelopment has impeded the transition of the military to alliances
with the modernizing bourgeoisie and industrial working class.
A word of caution. I am not defending the LA military. I think Carlos
is right, for probably over 90% of the cases. Even in Brazil and Mexico
and Argentina, and Bolivia and Peru, the military generally remains
Creole in mentality. But there are some exceptions, enough to at least
consider HOPE, which is what Carlos began his letter addressing.
Finally, I think it is even more hopeless to hope for much more than a
slight shift over time in the military mentality. For all our criticism
of SOA, for example, it is a hopeless dream to think that out peacenik
efforts, which I advocate and am willing to take huge risks at promoting,
will actually achieve a peaceful world. We do this for our ideals, but
must we pretend the imposssible is possible? My brothers and sisters, we
will see the world we dream of only in the sweet by-n-by.
Victor