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Related: About this forumOverthrow: 100 Years of U.S. Meddling and Regime Change, From Iran to Nicaragua to Hawaii to Cuba
NEWS & POLITICS
Overthrow: 100 Years of U.S. Meddling and Regime Change, From Iran to Nicaragua to Hawaii to Cuba
America committed a variety of human rights abuses, all under cover of "spreading democracy."
By Amy Goodman, Juan González / Democracy Now! March 13, 2018, 10:19 AM GMT
As special counsel Robert Mueller continues his probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, we take a look back at Washingtons record of meddling in elections across the globe. By one count, the United States has interfered in more than 80 foreign elections between 1946 and 2000. And that doesnt count U.S.-backed coups and invasions. We speak to former New York Times reporter Stephen Kinzer, author of Overthrow: Americas Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq.
Video and transcript at link:
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/100-years-us-meddling-regime-change
Editorials and other articles:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016203182
emulatorloo
(44,072 posts)If everyone is guilty of something, is no one guilty of anything?
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/whataboutism-origin-meaning
Some of the terms we use to describe political rhetoric are as old as politics itself (see ad hominem attacks, or such devices as synecdoche, metonymy, or zeugma). Others are more recent additions, driven by the evolution of the news cycle (like fake news and dog whistles).
But hey, arent we ignoring a bigger subject here? How can we talk about rhetorical devices and not mention whataboutism?
Essentially a reversal of accusation, arguing that an opponent is guilty of an offense just as egregious or worse
Whataboutism gives a clue to its meaning in its name. It is not merely the changing of a subject ("What about the economy?" ) to deflect away from an earlier subject as a political strategy; its essentially a reversal of accusation, arguing that an opponent is guilty of an offense just as egregious or worse than what the original party was accused of doing, however unconnected the offenses may be.
<snip>
The association of whataboutism with the Soviet Union began during the Cold War. As the regimes of Josef Stalin and his successors were criticized by the West for human rights atrocities, the Soviet propaganda machine would be ready with a comeback alleging atrocities of equal reprehensibility for which the West was guilty.
Michael Bernard, The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 17 Jun. 1978
<snip>
Before the 2016 presidential election, more instances of whataboutism applied to criticism among regimes than between individual politicians:
<snip>
Max Seddon, Buzzfeed, 25 Nov. 2014
<snip>
The term is seeing a bit of a renaissance in our current political climate. Philip Bump writes in The Washington Post that President Donald Trump has utilized whataboutism frequently as a way of deflecting criticism for his actions, such as his pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio.
<snip>
Time will tell if whataboutism can persuade its way into the language, but its recent upswing in usage suggests it may have staying power. At least until someone changes the subject.
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Much more at link.
Zorro
(15,724 posts)Never stand between Judi and an article slamming the USA.
BTW, great post.
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)When the US bombed Serbia to stop the ethnic cleansings and mass-murders, was that regime-change?
When the US bombed Afghanistan to dig out Al-Qaeda, was that regime-change?
When the US bombed Libya after Gaddafi's son had bragged on TV that they will slaughter the rebels, was that regime-change?