The resolution also calls for the declassification of all U.S. documents related to the coup and its aftermath.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and several other U.S. lawmakers introduced a resolution on Thursday that formally commemorates the 50th anniversary of the deadly 1973 military coup in Chile and apologizes for the role the United States played in the toppling of the Latin American nation’s democratically elected government.
The resolution also calls for the declassification of all remaining U.S. documents related to the coup and the events preceding and following it.
“Let me be clear: we must stand up for democracy here in the United States and beyond,” Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. “And that means we must also acknowledge that the United States has not always defended democracy abroad, and in fact, has sometimes done the opposite.”
“As we mark the 50th anniversary of the horrific coup in Chile, we must make clear that we regret our involvement and commit to supporting Chilean democracy,” he added. “To build the lasting partnerships we need in this hemisphere, we will need to establish a basis of trust and respect. Part of that process includes full accountability for the coup and its aftermath.”
The new resolution comes after Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined a group of U.S. lawmakers on a Latin America trip that included a stop in Chile, where the New York Democrat stressed the importance of declassifying the coup-related documents to shed more light on the Nixon administration’s role in the violent ouster of Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973.
read more: https://truthout.org/articles/sanders-and-ocasio-cortez-introduce-resolution-apologizing-for-1973-chilean-coup/
Too bad this apology decades after the fact won’t undo what happened and won’t prevent the US from carrying out actions like this in the present and the future. It’s better than nothing, but in the context of the actual global policies of the US, it’s fluff. The US has always been good with PR, so I’m not surprised that you think this empty gesture is meaningful in any way.
Contrast the op with say, an apology by China for the tienamen square massacre. Oh wait…
Again, an apology without correcting behavior is meaningless. What’s the point of this apology if the US is still invading and couping countries on the regular? I’d rather no apology and just stopping that.
It’s very hard to agree with your first sentence if the second is so hard to become a reality.
You don’t read a lot of comic books either, do you?
To finance a military coup and regime in a foreign country, committing or helping to commit magnicide while denying it to your citizens and the world in the name of democracy, is evil. After 50 years, apologizing for it is not absolutely “good”, I’d say it’s the absolute least you can do about it, after the fact. Seriously, you can do so much better.
It’s good they’re doing this, but really feels like that South Park parody of BP’s reactions to the oil spills with “we’re sorry” videos
It’s a bit more than “we’re sorry”, the declassifying part is pretty important
yes cause this is what they should be working on right now to make our country better ,/s
I love how, when Sanders’ name appears in the headline, it becomes impossible to distinguish a trumper from a centrist.
Not if they dont respect the meaning of what is talked about…russia,china,fool me once…
I agree, this is crucial. If you don’t know your past you’re bound to repeat it.
Very important political work. We need to spend our time apologizing for things that happened over 50 years ago. Let’s use all our political resources to continue doing that.
ikr? like get over it, it’s not like anything has effects on society that last for 50 years or longer 🤡
You know I was going to say I don’t know if this would do any good, but the more I think about it I think it’s actually pretty crucial. Because we’re seeing a lot of weird talk about the Chilean fascist regime lately. I don’t know if you noticed this but it seems almost popular among certain right-wing extremist groups. Lord knows most people don’t know much about the Chilean coup. It’s a dark part of our history and maybe this would bring attention to it. Education is always best.
Most people know little about any of the multiple coups we facilitated. Just as most people have no idea we stole Hawaii from it’s people forcefully annexing it. Turning is people into second class citizens in their own home. And that this wasn’t the only place we did that. Not even counting the continental United States.
Most of US history is pretty dark. However as citizens. Were so brainwashed and or history whitewashed. Filled with false hero worship. That we can’t really comprehend.
