Chomsky on Anarchism.pdf - Zine Library

CHOMSKY ON ANARCHISM
punished suspected "Communists" without mercy. and. as noted earlier, took
variolls steps to attract foreign investment.
By 1960, "twelve percent of American foreign aid to Thailand since the
beginning of the cold war had been devoted to economic and social advancement."
The effect of the American aid was clear. "The vast material and diplomatic
SUppOH provided w the military leaders by the United States helped to
prevent the emergence of any competing groups who might check the trend
wward absolme political rule and lead the country back w a more modern
form of government" (italics mine). In fiscal 1963. the Kennedy administration
tried w obtain from Congress $SO million in military aid for Thailand.
perhaps w commemorate these achievements. The Kennedy administration
brought "good intentions and well-founded policy proposals," bur otherwise
"made no significant modifications in the military-oriented policy in
Thailand."
These excerpts give a fair picUire of the American impact on Thailand, as
it emerges from Darling's account. Naturally, he is not too happy about it. He
is disUirbed that American influence frustrated the moves wwards constitutional
democracy and contributed to an autocratic rule responsible for atrocities
that sometimes "rivaled those of the Naz.is and the Communists." He is
also disturbed by our failure w achieve real control (in his terms, "security and
stability") through these measures. Thus when Sarit took power in the ] 957
coup, "the Americans had no assurance that he would nor orient a new regime
towards radical economic and social programs as Castro, fo r example, had
done in Cuba .... At stake was an investment of about $300 million in military
equipment and a gradually expanding economic base which could have been
used against American interests in Southeast Asia had it fallen into unfriendly
hands." Fortunately, rhese dire consequences did nor ensue, and in place of
radical economic and social programs there was merely a continuation of the
same old terror and corruption. The danger was real. however.
What conclusions does Darling draw from this record? As he sees it,42 there
are four major alternatives fo r American foreign policy.
The first would be to "abolish its military program and withdraw American
trOOps from the country." This, however. would be "irrational," because
throughout the non-Communist world "respect for American patience and
tolerance in dealing with nondemocratic governments would decline"; furthermore,
"Thailand's security and economic progress would be jeopardized."
To the pragmatic liberal, it is clear that confidence in our commitment to military
dictatorships such as that in Thailand must be maintained, as in fact was
implied by the moderate scholars' document discussed earlier; and it would
surely be unfortunate to endanger the prospects fo r further development along
the lines that were initiated in such a promising way under American influence,
and that are now secured by some 40,000 American troops.
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