Down With Yankee Imperialism

The battle lines are being drawn in a very familiar way.  On one side of the barricades a song emerges, about love, solidarity, social justice, and building libraries. On the other, a strangled melody screams about borders, fear of others, vengeance, and burning books. This week, in a disturbing reiteration of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, a Mr Cabrera, a second generation Cuban American ‘diplomat’ and Trump loyalist, openly defended the United States one-hundred-year record of imperialist  intervention into Latin America, declaring in triumphalist terms that; “American dominion over the western hemisphere will never be questioned again.” That the history of the CIA’s intrusions into Latin America is marked by tragedy and long-term failure has not deterred the Washington and Pentagon warmongers whose aims are transparent. They want Brasil’s rare earth metals, its oil and gold, and open access to its domestic markets. The US has slapped a 50% tariff on Brasilian imports, has revoked the Brasilian ambassador’s Visa, and is determined to undermine PIX, a popular form of digital money exchange unique to Brasil, that doesn’t require a credit card and which therefore the US argues discriminates against American firms like Visa. The far right and Bolsonaro clan have no qualms about selling Brasil and are enthusiastic about the prospects of US interference into its sovereign affairs. They have even lobbied Washington to launch a Venezuela  type plan to kidnap Lula and are open to the idea of US armed forces targeting organised crime groups like the PCC and the Comando Vermelho that the US has designated as terrorist. Which opens up a scenario in which US combat helicopters and navy seals invade Rio’s and São Paulo’s working class ‘favela’ communities. Surely not, you say, it is inconceivable, except for the fact that there is a well-documented track record.