The Pornography of Power

[shereads]

Chilling article in Vanity Fair about transcripts of Henry Kissinger's self-recorded telephone calls as Sec. of State, recently released under the Freedom of Information Act.

An Argentenian general, in charge of a torture operation for leftist dissidents and unfriendly journalists, developed a lucrative sideline of which the CIA - and presumably, the State Department - had knowledge: selling the babies of women detainees who became pregnant as a result of rape by their torturers. Pregnant prisoners were kept alive until they gave birth, but were not excused from torture, so long as there was no danger to the fetuses they carried. (Nice to know that Argentina's right-wing dungeons had a Culture of Life.)

In an interview with the American journalist who, decades later, wrote the Vanity Fair article, the general denied any official policy of "disappearing" dissidents, until confronted with a case for which there were witnesses. He excused the policy as a necessary measure to "combat anti-democratic and anti-Christian terrorists."

Sound familiar?

Kissinger, who you may recall turned down an offer to head the 9/11 commission, is asked in one of the transcripts whether the general should be told to pull back on the disappearances. His response was the opposite: Argentina must work faster and more efficiently to get rid of its terrorists, for the benefit of all concerned. "The sooner, the better."

 

[shereads]

It's worth noting that "dissident" and "terrorist" were interchangeable terms in the CIA-supported military dictatorships of Argentina, El Salvador and Chile. How can you hope for an end to the War on Terror and the president's war powers, when the term itself is so malleable?

 

[rgraham666]

Jesus H. fucking Christ.

If I was working for the State Department or the CIA and I found out about something like that, every new agency in the world would hear about it.

Oh wait! Narf! Neither of those agencies would hire a person with ethics.

 

[shereads]

[
If I was working for the State Department or the CIA and I found out about something like that, every new agency in the world would hear about it.

I wonder how many had that thought and disappeared before they could act on it. In all the USA's friendly dealings with people of Mr. Pinochet's ilk, and Saddam's, and the Shah of Iran's, is it safe to assume we never adapted any of the practices we tolerated and even encouraged? (Before Al Gharib, I mean?)

 

[Huckleman2000]

Realpolitik

Until Jimmy Carter, Human Rights was a relatively minor factor in foreign policy.

Nowadays, it seems like Human Rights has become the fallback justification for foolish intervention. Who, after all, is going to argue against Human Rights? Still, it was the justification of last resort.

You'd think foreign policy would have progressed in the last 40 years.

 

[cantdog]

If you got all the guns, then you don't need to improve on "Gimme that, 'cause I got all the guns." Progress in diplomacy is for sissies who need a new schtick.

 

[Songcatcher]

We're men of three decades. We meet, we fight a war, we separate for a decade. We meet again, and for a decade we're indispensable to each other while we fight another. We part for ever, and a decade later you come back.