You simply cannot understand today's Migration crisis without understanding role of the United States in
in creating it. This history has essentially three paradigms:
1. Monroe doctrine..1823....The US declares it intention to replace the European colonial powers
and to establish its own imperial hemispheric hegemony
2. East/west dialectic...this includes the early red scare following the Russia Revolution and extends through
the post World War II Cold War
3. The post cold war international economic competition
Early expressions of the US desire to establish hemispheric hegemony include the Mexican War (1846-48),
in which the upper 40% or more of Mexcio was seized by force and then the Spanish American War of 1898
in which the US essentially took over the remnants of the Spain's imperial holdings.
Central American intervention began with the US marine supported establishment of Somoza dictatorship
in Nicaragua,(1936-49) capped capped by the assassination of Nicaraguan independence leader Augusto
Sandino in 1934 after seven years if his fight to establish a democratic country.The Somoza family
would remain in power until 1979 when they were overthrown by the Sandinistas. (FSLN)
1954 saw the CIA supported overthrow of democratically elected Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala to prevent
nationalization of the UNited Fruit Companies banana holdings.
Still fearful of the success of the Cuban revolution, seen as an outpost of Soviet power, the
1980s saw the deaths 75-90000 mainly poor and in Guatemala, indigenous people. Fear of the potential
influence of the Sandinistas following their overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship, the US
sponsored the"Contra War," even turning to its arch enemy Iran as a means of arming the Contras
against the Sandinistas. This war had the further effect of turning Honduras into what one
Hoduran described as "a US aircraft carrier"
In El Salvador there was support for right wing dictatorship facing . a popular uprising with
death squads and a reign of terror with daily dumping of bodies.
The support of Rio Montt and his genocidal regime in Guatemala led to the death of thousands of
indigenous people and the destruction of eons old villages.
The Esqipulas peace accords of August 7, 1987 ushered in a new day of hope but that hope remains
but little realized. The Honduras coup of 6/28/2009 removing elected President Mel Zelaya from power
...last democratically elected President
Today we find these realities..
1.Corrupted democracies on 4 countries.
* Honduras has been termed by one observer a "social-political Chernobyl"
2. Control by the narco military establishment and gangs. We cannot forget that these gangs were
"born in the USA", most specifically born in Los Angeles, their names reflect LA "hoods"...)
3. Collapse of sustainable village and rural life. This has been caused by international Agribusiness
mono crop production and destruction of sustainable indigenous seed base. A second and seriously
dangerous cause is climate change and accompanying environmental catastrophe
4. Lack of viable jobs
5. Violence
6. The control of emigration process by "coyotes" Today it costs migrants $10-12000 to be guided to the
border with accompanying sexual abuse and trafficking and frequent abandonment. The so-called
"Caravans" were a self-organized effort to evade coyote system. Far from bad hombres the caravanistas
represented a responsible practical alternative to an oppressive, abusive syytemThw
Former cold war dialectic now multivalent with the US, China and Russia now competing.
Especially interesting is Putin's Rusia seeking to takeover former Soviet client relationships..
China's impact on agriculture and environment is extensive including Chinese business support of
Daniel Ortega's chimeric canal plan.
The bottom line si very simple...
People will continue to leave their here as long as life is impossible where they live.
Graffiti in Hamburg "if you don't like refugees, stop creating them..."
NO walls, no militarized borders, no byzantine asylum /immigration procedures will stop their coming to
our borders...it will only force people into ever more desperate measures,
strengthen the power of gangs, coyotes and cartels and destroy families...and their very lives.
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