In 1953, the United States and the United Kingdom overthrew the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, installing in his place the monarchy of Reza Pahlavi. The reason? Mosaddegh was about to nationalize Iran’s oil, depriving British Petroleum of its control.
In 1954, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) toppled the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz, a champion of minimum wage, and agrarian reform in favor of the military dictatorship of Carlos Castillo Armas, who continued the United Fruit Company’s exploitation of Guatemalan labor. The country is only now recovering from decades of civil war.
Since 1958, the United States supported a series of Pakistani dictatorships instead of India’s “non-aligned” democracy.
In 1973, the United States overthrew the democratically elected Chilean President Salvador Allende, a supporter of national healthcare and free milk for children, and installed the dictator Augusto Pinochet, who committed horrific atrocities, leading to the “disappearing” of 300, 000 people.
In 2016, the Russian government meddled in America’s election, installing a narcissistic, racist, xenophobic, and totalitarian billionaire who would do the bidding of whoever stroked his ego, enhanced his power, and enriched his coffers.
The chickens are coming home to roost, at last.
There is poetic justice in the loss of the world’s so-called beacon of democracy, even if one wonders whether to laugh or cry about it. What is startling is that America’s newly minted dictator might well be using the CIA’s handbook to take control of the state: first, curb the press and the judiciary; second, brainwash the citizenry by chanting lies and falsehoods; and ultimately, instill the fear of God into everyone.
It’s a conspiracy theory you say? Let’s examine the facts.
As early as the spring of 2016, the CBI (Central Intelligence Agency), the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), and the National Security Agency (NSA) knew that the Russian government was involved in interfering with the American election. WikiLeaks and its chief Julian Assange were hacking into Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee’s emails to sway public opinion against them. At the same time, Trump was giving speeches extolling Putin and promising cooperation with Russia. And Trump’s advisors were meeting with Russian intelligence officials, even talking to Gucifer 2.0, the famous Russian hacker.
You connect the dots.
There remain a few loose links. The FBI’s actions remain murky. Why did the FBI director James Comey release information about Hillary’s use of a private email server while withholding what he knew about Trump’s collusion with Russia? Was it because Comey and his staff were Republicans who hated Hillary? Used to playing with fire, did they not realize that Trump was playing them? Did they not fully understand the moral bankruptcy of “conservatives” like Paul Ryan and his Congressional gang who would be prepared to sell the country’s infrastructure, healthcare, and climate to the highest bidder? Did the FBI become wary of Trump only when he started attacking them?
The other loose link is Edward Snowden, who has been living in an apartment in Moscow since June 2013. Allegedly, he works in the field of computers there. Bleeding heart liberals like Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, and Arundhati Roy have put him on a pedestal. Even a stalwart like Daniel Ellsberg has applauded Snowden’s revelations regarding the American government’s surveillance of its citizens.
But think for a moment. Snowden is a computer hacker who is currently employed in a job no one knows anything about. The person who was instrumental in obtaining asylum for Snowden was none other than Julian Assange. The very same Julian Assange who not only helped Trump win the election but who is now working with the Russians to disarm Trump’s opponents by releasing a trove of CIA surveillance methods the very week that Washington was abuzz with talk of an investigation into Trump’s collusion with Russia.
You still think it’s a conspiracy theory?
Before you use the label “conspiracy theory,” you should also know that the CIA created this expression in 1967 to discredit anyone who questioned the official narrative. And before you think I am going off the deep end, note that the hypothesis that Snowden is working for the Russians is not mine; a recent book by Jay Epstein asserts that Snowden was and continues to be a Russian spy.
Of course journalists from outlets like The Guardian have harshly criticized the book, at least in part because it makes them look like fools for molding Snowden into a modern-day hero. What bothers me, however, is their refusal to question Snowden’s motives.
The liberals’ embrace of Snowden is yet another proof of their arrogance and naiveté, I believe. Not to mention their impotence in preventing the takeover of the American government by a totalitarian, profit-mongering junta.
The truth is, the Obama administration was well aware of the Russian plot, so much so that Secretary of State John Kerry urged Obama to open a special investigation prior to the election. The New Yorker asserts as much, spelling the magazine’s name in Russian above a picture of Putin on its March 6, 2017 cover.
Alas, true to his cautious and contemplative nature, Obama resisted Kerry’s recommendation, believing it would appear a partisan move.
So our democracy died on November 8, 2016. What’s worse, we can’t find a doctor who will perform an autopsy, let alone revive the corpse.
RIP American Democracy!
Sarita Sarvate (www.saritasarvate.com) has published commentaries for New America Media, KQED FM, San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune, and many nationwide publications.