Noam Chomsky - Turning the Tide U.S. intervention in

Free World Vignettes
Time refused to publish much of what he submitted for fear of offending
large corporations, and that his book was regarded as too controversial
by American publishers. Lack of interest, the consequence of lack of
credible threats to US control at the time, might well suffice to explain
its unavailability. The two books just cited appeared in 1984, a time of
challenge to US dominance, hence much concern over the fate of the
region. Our lack of interest when the lower orders make no unseemly
noises should be a matter of no great pride.
The brutal and corrupt Somoza dictatorship had long been a reliable
US ally and a base for the projection of US power: to terminate
Guatemalan democracy in 1954, to attack Cuba in 1961, to avert the
threat of democracy in the Dominican Republic in 1965 and in El
Salvador in 1972. 9 The fall of the dictatorship in 1979, along with a
renewed threat to the military regime in Guatemala and the growth of
popular organizations in El Salvador, led to increasing US intervention
and brought the region to the front pages. Let us consider the picture
that comes into focus with this renewed attention.
Classics in Politics: Turning the Tide Noam Chomsky
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