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

Patterns of Intervention
Classics in Politics: Turning the Tide Noam Chomsky
227
The Sandinistas have made their most of both qualities, cultivating the
belief in Washington that they would bargain.” But these wiser heads,
well schooled in the task of disciplining the lower orders, remind the
naive Americans that they should not rely solely on their “enlightenment
faith”: “the Contras are a necessary element,” and “certain of the Contra
groups” have “strong claims . . . to the status of Third World freedom
fighters.” The reference is presumably to Edén Pastora, who had been
dismissed by the CIA as too independent and accordingly disappeared
from the scene. The approving reference to Third World freedom fighters
is merely comical, given the hatred and contempt of the editors for such
elements, apart from those fighting the good fight against the Evil
Empire. It is doubtful that any segment of the Communist Party press is
more abject in its loyalty to its Soviet master. The Times, however, does
manage a spark of insight, noting that the danger posed by Nicaragua is
“the example” it may offer to others. 158
Turning to the leading journal of our neighbor to the north, we find an
indignant denunciation of Soviet military aid to Nicaragua, including
even “a radar system that will allow the Nicaraguans to monitor their
entire territory,” under attack by the United States; an outrage of
colossal proportions. The Russians have no business ‘‘running arms into
Central America,” the editors thunder; “the Russians have no more right
to bolster a friendly regime in Central America than the Americans have
to topple an unfriendly one.” Employing precisely the same logic, the
more servile elements of the Communist Party press might argue that
the US has no business “running arms into Turkey, Israel or Denmark”
(far more of a threat to the USSR than Central America is to the US);
“the US has no more right to bolster a friendly regime near the borders
of the USSR than the USSR has to topple an unfriendly one.” In fact, if
one of these countries were under attack by a well-armed mercenary
force based in a Soviet satellite and armed and directed by the Soviets,