Covert US Program against Cuba Revealed
On the heels of the ZunZuneo Fake Twitter Program
HAVANA TIMES — A covert US government program to send young Latin Americans to Cuba for purposes of political subversion was made public by Associated Press on Sunday.
According to the news agency, the project by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) sent youth from Venezuela, Costa Rica and Peru starting in 2009 to Cuba “in the hope of encouraging a rebellion.”
In all, nearly a dozen Latin American were used in this program against Cuba, for a salary as low as US$ 5.41 an hour, paid by Creative Associates International, the subcontractor.
The Costa Ricans focused on putting on an HIV prevention workshop and other programs, while Venezuelans and Peruvians were sent to universities with the mission to recruit students to turn against their government.
Both this program and the ZunZuneo (false Cuban twitter program) are part of a big dollar effort by USAID to effect change in countries politically uncomfortable for Washington, and US government data proves it, said AP in its report.
Dan, this is an interesting question and the answer is not as obvious as the tone you have taken would imply. In each of the three regimes you listed which were replaced by governments supported by the US, there were markers that these leaders were well on their way towards anti-democratic programs. After being replaced, there was a hope that more and not less freedoms for the people would evolve. The US did not intentionally help to replace a good government with a bad one. On the contrary, the US helped to replace a bad government we assumed would get worse, with a good government that ultimately went bad. Nation-building is clearly not the US’ strong suit. We can topple governments pretty well but helping to build a replacement government that continues the ideals of democracy and freedom seems beyond our reach.
Arbenz was worse than Montt ? Allende was worse than Pinochet ? Mossadeh was worse than the Shah ?
Your anti-American bias clouds your capacity to understand that in most of the third world countries where we would agree there was direct US intervention, the government in power prior to the intervention was far worse than the US-sponsored government which replaced it. That is by no means to say that the succeeding government was perfect. The problems in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq are testimonies to this point. I have never seen an entire Fox News broadcast. They are far too conservative for my taste.
“The US, as the world’s only superpower, is uniquely challenged to
confront totalitarianism and anti-democratic regimes around the world.” Hahaha !!!! Is the SOA programme in the list of soft power promoting democracy? As usual, you need to come out of Plato’s cave. When you have time, read Eduardo Galeano’s :”Open Veins on America”or Ronald Wright [of “A Short History of Progress” fame] “A year in Guatemala” and then come back and defend U.S.foreign policy since the Spanish-American War. Many books have been written about amerika’s brutal relationship with third world countries. United Fruit death squads in Central America come to mind. One suggestion for your little ego: go to Fox News, you’ll get their undivided attention and admiration.
The US, as the world’s only superpower, is uniquely challenged to confront totalitarianism and anti-democratic regimes around the world. One comment regarding this latest revelation best defines the promotion and expansion of these pro-democratic programs. This comment was that these programs are not “secret” but discreet programs. They are publicly-funded and publicly-accountable but in order to be effective must be promoted discreetly. US influence abroad comes in many forms, from WalMarts to baseball to FaceBook. There is a need at times, as is the case in Cuba, to secure that influence through more discreet means. The question to ask is what is purpose of this influence. Hopefully, in all cases, the answer is choice. By expanding US influence in Cuba, even by “secret” means, the goal is to expand the choices available to Cubans. Something woefully lacking in Cuba for the last 55 years.
Moses, we are all waiting for you to post another comment eloquently defending American foreign policy
Is this important?