Rubio, Crazy Cruz and others have done 'splainin to do about their stand on Cuban embargo
Dangerous Allies: A History of U.S.-Backed Dictators 2/9/11
... Hosni Mubarak ... has been chummy with every president since Reagan, who have courted him as one of their few allies with Israel in the region.
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Regardless, its too early to tell if the United States’ support of Mubarak will backfire. It isn’t too early, however, to take a look at how this country’s support of other dictators has come back to bite us in the ass.
Fulgencio Batista
His Story: “El Hombre,” as he was nicknamed, actually made a name for himself as an army sergeant who overthrew another sitting dictator, Gerardo Machado. Elected to the presidency in 1940, he peacefully stepped down after his term was over in 1944. Six years later he returned in a far less peaceful manner, heading a coup that would put him in power until 1958. In that time he controlled the populace with an iron fist, constantly using brutal, public shows of force to scare Cuba’s citizens into submission.
Why We Supported Him: Aside from not being a communist, the United States loved him because he welcomed U.S. businesses with open arms. ...
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Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
His Story: Mohammad Reza took over the throne of Iran in 1941, stepping in for his deposed father. He then headed a long series of reforms during White Revolution which included anti-malaria initiatives, infrastructure improvements and literacy campaigns. Unfortunately, this all came at a cost. SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police, cracked down on dissent and took thousands of political prisoners. Unequal distribution of oil wealth and a healthy dose of corruption also helped foster dissent.
Why We Supported Him: He was a friend of Israel and he controlled huge deposits of oil. ...
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Anastasio Somoza Debayle
His Story: To get to his story, you first have to go back to his father, Anastasio Somoza García, who while working closely with U.S. forces ordered the assassination of General Augusto Sandino, whose name would later be used to rally a group of rebels called the Sandinistas. He used his power as newly elected president of Nicaragua in 1937 to essentially tear up the constitution and centralize power in his hands. He was the largest landowner in Nicaragua and his corrupt business dealings made him an insanely wealthy man. His son, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, continued that tradition, fighting the communist-backed Sandinistas until he was assasinated in his Mercedes in 1980.
Why We Backed Him: We backed his father because he basically called his country’s natural resources (gold, coffee, rubber, etc.) fair game for U.S. ...
Why It Backfired: … the Iran-Contra Affair. When Somoza was assassinated, the power vacuum essentially scared the shit out of Reagan. His administration ... caught trying to sell arms to Iran to fund the Contras, the main opposition group to the Sandinistas.
Stability vs. Ideals
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... The markets and diplomats love stability, so we support dictators, lest we don’t like the outcome of a grassroots political movement. Yes, the short term benefits of backing strongmen willing to do business with the United States might seem attractive but, as we’ve seen over and over, these things have a way of backfiring. If, as the President often likes to quote, “the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice,” perhaps it would suit us to put our money behind whoever a country’s people decide to support, whether we like it or not.
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See also:
America’s 25 Most Awkward Allies - POLITICO Magazine
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/americas-most-awkward-allies-103889.html
and
10 vicious dictators supported by the U.S. government
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/205411/10-vicious-dictators-supported-by-the-u-s-government/
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The above leads one to think that maybe Repubs like Rubio and Crazy Cruz don't want the embargo dropped because Cuba doesn't have resources we can extract, is communist-led (but so is China), and is led by an authoritarian regime who overthrew the authoritarian regime who loved US biz & mafia money.
Remember, Marco, 'yesterday is over' ...
= new reply since forum marked as read
