America’s Continued War Against Democracy

What’s the Latest Development?

American warplanes that have bombed Iraq and Afghanistan take off and land at a small island in the Indian Ocean called Diego Garcia, the principle island of the Chagos archipelago. It is little known that these islands, a British colony, were ordered ‘swept’ and ‘sanitized’ of its 2,500 inhabitants to make room for a US military base in the 1960s. In exchange, Britain was given a discount on an American-built submarine. This crass behavior is a reoccurring theme in the two countries’ policies, both foreign and domestic, says journalist John Pilger.

What’s the Big Idea?

The summary of US foreign policy given by Pilger since the end of World War II is astounding. Attempts to overthrow governments, suppression of nationalist movements, interference with democratic elections and attempted assassinations of foreign leaders have occurred in 69 countries. President Obama, with the National Defense Authorization Act, signed on New Year’s Eve, has allowed the government to detain and interrogate citizens foreign and domestic indefinitely. How much security is returned for these sacrifices of freedom?

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