Welcome back to Lucid, and a big hello to all new subscribers. Our next Q&A is Friday, Sept. 15, 1-2pmET. Paying subscribers will receive a link to register for the Zoom gathering on Friday morning. If you'd like to join these stimulating sessions, you can convert your subscription to paid here:
So Tusitala “Tiny” Toese was sentenced to 8 years in prison in July for violence at Portland rallies. I assume, it would be a bad sign if he were pardoned by a US president in the future.
Brilliant research!! Appreciate any comments pertaining to the US intervention in the Italian elections post WW II. It is my understanding that a pre-dominant section of the Italian voting population was in favor of a Socialist/Communist voting bloc that was derailed through OSS involvement.
Another, well documented episode, is the US establishing entry access to Nazi criminals, like Braun and Gehlen, most notably, to develop intelligence networks and missile programs. Not to mention the prison guards, executioners, and others who entered through Operation Paperclip.
The Nazis weren't defeated by the Allies during WW II - they took a vacation.
Thanks everyone and that was my understanding as well “that a pre-dominant section of the Italian voting population was in favor of a Socialist/Communist voting bloc” ‼️
Thank you for that dense, informative essay on the links between the Chilean terror during Pinochet and today's fascists, Ruth--both abroad and here. I just heard a great "El Hilo" podcast on Chile's 50th anniversary of the coup and what's going on today, and it talked about the fact that Chilean public is more accepting today of the Pinochet years than it has ever been. So depressing. And who knew that the Proud Boys would even be aware of the history there? Again, appreciation for bringing this to us, and hopefully, a broader public!
Our neoliberal business elites saw Chile as some kind of economic paradise, where a corporatocracy could be formed. The connection of our CIA/Wall Street and the Mont Pelerin Society to Chile is well documented. The CIA is a window into who really controls our nation.
Milton Friedman has animated politics and economics not only in Chile but in the United States. Until Biden inaugurated bottom up economic policies, the so-called neo-liberal, trickle-down, economic policies in the U.S. came from Friedman and the so-called "Chicago boys."
Whoh! That is a lot of scarry people/programs! Thank you for writing and speaking in such an unvarnished way, Professor, about these difficult and disturbing histories. Your book Strongmen is exceptional in outlining these policies as well. I find it very helpful to know the facts of the underpinning crimes associated with the forces we are currently battling and also strangely reassuring by justifying the hair on fire concern many of us have sensed as these forces rush over our country.
Fabulous brief. I’d love to read any connections you’ve made to Friedman and son and neoliberal nationalism (Christian Popke’s phrase), which justifies exploitation of non-workers or low-skilled workers on the basis of one’s duty for responsible behavior. It’s unpatriotic to be unproductive, and therefore we rightly exclude you from the polis, etc.
This is truly terrifying! The fact that so many people in this country and others are re-embracing this awful ideology fills me with dread. What ever happened to "never again"?
School of the Americas torturers trained under CIA instructors here in the USA. Their principal areas to train were on Native reservations, like Pine Ridge Reservation in SD. They could pick people off the Rez and "disappear" them with impunity. Family members could only complain to the BIA who would refer them to the FBI, who would turn them over to the CIA. If lucky, their complaint would be ignored. If they weren't lucky, they would share the same fate as their disappeared family members.
This is the first time I heard that School of the Americas graduates snatched Native Americans. Those guys were recruited from Central and South American militaries and brought here to learn torture. I am more familiar with their handiwork in Guatemala, where Jennifer Harbury's husband, who was in the resistance, was captured and tortured by a CIA operative. It took Jennifer fasting in front of government offices for the authorities to fess up. She is, currently, a lawyer in Texas, working with immigrants seeking humanitarian refuge. And has written several books.
The US was perpetuating fascism in Chile, while claiming that the US was a democracy. This is not a case of cognitive dissonance on the part of our leaders. It was a signal of what our elites actually wanted for the US...... some form of authoritarian rule.
Yes, our CIA and economic hitmen were all over South and Central America. Our involvement in the Congo was really horrible, with our orchestrated killing of Patrice Lumumba, their leader.
Thank you Ruth for your research. Living in Georgia, the Schools of the Americas role in these atrocities is of particular interest to me as it was located at the former Fort Benning...now known as Fort Moore in Columbus Georgia.
For years, Witness for Peace and other groups would gather at Fort Benning protesting the torture school there. School of the Americas received a new name thanks to its infamous reputation.
FREEDOM DOES NOT MEAN THAT AMERICANS MUST SUFFER INSURRECTIONISTS AND FOOLS
Insightful essay by author of “Strongmen,” Ruth Ben Ghiat, in her newsletter, Lucid, about the murderous South American dictator, Pinochet, who has become popular with right-wing groups and MAGA. What is the attraction to such evil, anti-democratic dictators, whom are obvious sociopaths? Are these followers simply ignorant and myopic, unaware of historical consequences that to Americans and real “Christian nationalists” should be abhorrent? Are these people who think individuals such as Pinochet, Putin, or Trump did or do nothing wrong simply corrupt, driven by passions and unconscious impulses that inspire them to hate and violence? Do they represent a choice, a will, as St. Augustine would say, that has freely chosen evil, not to love their neighbor but to eliminate her or him? If you are a person who thinks that Pinochet is a figure who did nothing wrong, then perhaps you need basic moral and spiritual education (“Thou shall not kill”) or you lack a conscience and likely a soul. Quaint as it may seem, a normal or patriotic American with common sense and decency would wear a T-shirt displaying George Washington or Abe Lincoln. Not to honor the sacrifices made by millions of Americans who have lived and died for our freedoms and stable democracy steered by the rule of law, not a self-serving dictator, is unacceptable blindness and ingratitude. Freedom does not mean that Americans must suffer insurrectionists and fools.
Before I read your essay, I had a Trump sighting here in Marietta, GA. A car passed close to me in a Publix parking lot. In the backseat was a hologram looking image of Trump. A book seller the day before recognized me (my book The Trump Files is carried in her store) said why do so many people in our country support Trump. And just a few miles from us is MTG, Georgia’s fascist congressional rep. Your paragraph that includes “Pinochet Did Nothing Wrong," is what Republicans say about Trump did.. The book seller I mentioned said she feared for her and her wife. She’s scared of people who support some one like Trump or DeSantis. Your article tells us why she is correct. Thank you, Ruth for this.
Ruth - I was surprised you didn't also mention the role and influence of several noted American scholars in Pinochet's regime after 1973. Have you read Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean? She cites the direct advice / presence of American economists and libertarians such as Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, and most notably James Buchanan in providing economic policy prescriptions that would ensure the "capitalist class would be all but permanently entrenched in power." These American advisors did not directly perpetrate or recommend violence, but they helped solidify the legitimacy and backing Pinochet needed from Chile's upper class vs the "masses" who had supported Allende.
My conversations with an ex CIA agent, about Chile were shocking. He feels that the Pinochet regime was a glowing success, both politically and economically. I suspect this guy of being a sociopath. We know that CIA director Allen Dulles was a sociopath. The connection between sociopathy and fascism is clear. Our CIA seemed to act as Wall Street's hit man, as they were involved in Chile, partly because of the US copper interests there and the nationalization of the copper mines by Chile. Chile seemed to be an economic experiment in neoliberalism, as Milton Friedman and James Buchanan went down there to guide Pinochet in this destructive economic/political concept. That experiment eventually failed badly. The dark side of neoliberal economics is that it creates a giant poor class due to the exploitation of them by the wealth class. It is a reversion to a more feudal mindset of master/slave. The business elites have tremendous power and is why Buchanan went down there to rewite their constitution. It sanctified business power.
Our fascists in this country would love to push our current neoliberalism further, into the realm of a cartel economic system that was seen in Nazi Germany. With our current oligopolies, we are nearly there now. Nazi Germany was loaded with oligopolies. They were not constrained by government.
That a fraction of Chile's society still admires Pinochet, Steve, reminds one of the fraction of U.S. society that still loves Trump. They are a clear and present danger for all to see. Thankfully, FBI is finally seeing it!
Yes, I get that about their thinking about violence. I was just surprised The Proud Boys had any historical knowledge of another country's murderous past....especially one in Latin America. I think of them as White Supremecists and U.S. or European-centric. My ignorance, clearly! Thank you, Steve. ..
So Tusitala “Tiny” Toese was sentenced to 8 years in prison in July for violence at Portland rallies. I assume, it would be a bad sign if he were pardoned by a US president in the future.
Brilliant research!! Appreciate any comments pertaining to the US intervention in the Italian elections post WW II. It is my understanding that a pre-dominant section of the Italian voting population was in favor of a Socialist/Communist voting bloc that was derailed through OSS involvement.
Another, well documented episode, is the US establishing entry access to Nazi criminals, like Braun and Gehlen, most notably, to develop intelligence networks and missile programs. Not to mention the prison guards, executioners, and others who entered through Operation Paperclip.
The Nazis weren't defeated by the Allies during WW II - they took a vacation.
Thanks everyone and that was my understanding as well “that a pre-dominant section of the Italian voting population was in favor of a Socialist/Communist voting bloc” ‼️
Thank you for that dense, informative essay on the links between the Chilean terror during Pinochet and today's fascists, Ruth--both abroad and here. I just heard a great "El Hilo" podcast on Chile's 50th anniversary of the coup and what's going on today, and it talked about the fact that Chilean public is more accepting today of the Pinochet years than it has ever been. So depressing. And who knew that the Proud Boys would even be aware of the history there? Again, appreciation for bringing this to us, and hopefully, a broader public!
The Proud Boys saw a kindred spirit in Pinochet. To them, murder is a virtue. Sick minds.
The embrace of Pinoche by Milton Freidman should be a huge embarrassment, but it’s not.
Our neoliberal business elites saw Chile as some kind of economic paradise, where a corporatocracy could be formed. The connection of our CIA/Wall Street and the Mont Pelerin Society to Chile is well documented. The CIA is a window into who really controls our nation.
Milton Friedman has animated politics and economics not only in Chile but in the United States. Until Biden inaugurated bottom up economic policies, the so-called neo-liberal, trickle-down, economic policies in the U.S. came from Friedman and the so-called "Chicago boys."
Absolutely indeed!!!
Whoh! That is a lot of scarry people/programs! Thank you for writing and speaking in such an unvarnished way, Professor, about these difficult and disturbing histories. Your book Strongmen is exceptional in outlining these policies as well. I find it very helpful to know the facts of the underpinning crimes associated with the forces we are currently battling and also strangely reassuring by justifying the hair on fire concern many of us have sensed as these forces rush over our country.
Fabulous brief. I’d love to read any connections you’ve made to Friedman and son and neoliberal nationalism (Christian Popke’s phrase), which justifies exploitation of non-workers or low-skilled workers on the basis of one’s duty for responsible behavior. It’s unpatriotic to be unproductive, and therefore we rightly exclude you from the polis, etc.
Yes indeed more connections to Friedman.....
FYI you may also like to read the article in The New Republic ,The Anti-democractic Think Tanks. The "New Right. Very scary read.
Thank you for another informative piece, Prof Ben-Ghiat. Great stuff as always.
This is truly terrifying! The fact that so many people in this country and others are re-embracing this awful ideology fills me with dread. What ever happened to "never again"?
School of the Americas torturers trained under CIA instructors here in the USA. Their principal areas to train were on Native reservations, like Pine Ridge Reservation in SD. They could pick people off the Rez and "disappear" them with impunity. Family members could only complain to the BIA who would refer them to the FBI, who would turn them over to the CIA. If lucky, their complaint would be ignored. If they weren't lucky, they would share the same fate as their disappeared family members.
Like the post, dislike that this happened. Another WTF!
This is the first time I heard that School of the Americas graduates snatched Native Americans. Those guys were recruited from Central and South American militaries and brought here to learn torture. I am more familiar with their handiwork in Guatemala, where Jennifer Harbury's husband, who was in the resistance, was captured and tortured by a CIA operative. It took Jennifer fasting in front of government offices for the authorities to fess up. She is, currently, a lawyer in Texas, working with immigrants seeking humanitarian refuge. And has written several books.
Read In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Matthiessen, he documents all of the abuse that led to the formation of the American Indian Movement (AIM).
Thank the US government for making sure Chile didn't go down a progressive path. https://www.npr.org/2023/09/10/1193755188/chile-coup-50-years-pinochet-kissinger-human-rights-allende
The US was perpetuating fascism in Chile, while claiming that the US was a democracy. This is not a case of cognitive dissonance on the part of our leaders. It was a signal of what our elites actually wanted for the US...... some form of authoritarian rule.
Precisely.
Steve, a minor editorial suggestion: “… our elites actually wanted for the US...... some form of [fascist] rule. I agree with your message
Remember, it was not only Chile where the U.S. destroyed democracy. Iran and Guatemala also suffered. Guatemala and Iran still suffer.
Yes, our CIA and economic hitmen were all over South and Central America. Our involvement in the Congo was really horrible, with our orchestrated killing of Patrice Lumumba, their leader.
Thank you Ruth for your research. Living in Georgia, the Schools of the Americas role in these atrocities is of particular interest to me as it was located at the former Fort Benning...now known as Fort Moore in Columbus Georgia.
For years, Witness for Peace and other groups would gather at Fort Benning protesting the torture school there. School of the Americas received a new name thanks to its infamous reputation.
Post to Facebook with link to essay:
FREEDOM DOES NOT MEAN THAT AMERICANS MUST SUFFER INSURRECTIONISTS AND FOOLS
Insightful essay by author of “Strongmen,” Ruth Ben Ghiat, in her newsletter, Lucid, about the murderous South American dictator, Pinochet, who has become popular with right-wing groups and MAGA. What is the attraction to such evil, anti-democratic dictators, whom are obvious sociopaths? Are these followers simply ignorant and myopic, unaware of historical consequences that to Americans and real “Christian nationalists” should be abhorrent? Are these people who think individuals such as Pinochet, Putin, or Trump did or do nothing wrong simply corrupt, driven by passions and unconscious impulses that inspire them to hate and violence? Do they represent a choice, a will, as St. Augustine would say, that has freely chosen evil, not to love their neighbor but to eliminate her or him? If you are a person who thinks that Pinochet is a figure who did nothing wrong, then perhaps you need basic moral and spiritual education (“Thou shall not kill”) or you lack a conscience and likely a soul. Quaint as it may seem, a normal or patriotic American with common sense and decency would wear a T-shirt displaying George Washington or Abe Lincoln. Not to honor the sacrifices made by millions of Americans who have lived and died for our freedoms and stable democracy steered by the rule of law, not a self-serving dictator, is unacceptable blindness and ingratitude. Freedom does not mean that Americans must suffer insurrectionists and fools.
Before I read your essay, I had a Trump sighting here in Marietta, GA. A car passed close to me in a Publix parking lot. In the backseat was a hologram looking image of Trump. A book seller the day before recognized me (my book The Trump Files is carried in her store) said why do so many people in our country support Trump. And just a few miles from us is MTG, Georgia’s fascist congressional rep. Your paragraph that includes “Pinochet Did Nothing Wrong," is what Republicans say about Trump did.. The book seller I mentioned said she feared for her and her wife. She’s scared of people who support some one like Trump or DeSantis. Your article tells us why she is correct. Thank you, Ruth for this.
Ruth - I was surprised you didn't also mention the role and influence of several noted American scholars in Pinochet's regime after 1973. Have you read Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean? She cites the direct advice / presence of American economists and libertarians such as Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, and most notably James Buchanan in providing economic policy prescriptions that would ensure the "capitalist class would be all but permanently entrenched in power." These American advisors did not directly perpetrate or recommend violence, but they helped solidify the legitimacy and backing Pinochet needed from Chile's upper class vs the "masses" who had supported Allende.
Absolutely 👍
My conversations with an ex CIA agent, about Chile were shocking. He feels that the Pinochet regime was a glowing success, both politically and economically. I suspect this guy of being a sociopath. We know that CIA director Allen Dulles was a sociopath. The connection between sociopathy and fascism is clear. Our CIA seemed to act as Wall Street's hit man, as they were involved in Chile, partly because of the US copper interests there and the nationalization of the copper mines by Chile. Chile seemed to be an economic experiment in neoliberalism, as Milton Friedman and James Buchanan went down there to guide Pinochet in this destructive economic/political concept. That experiment eventually failed badly. The dark side of neoliberal economics is that it creates a giant poor class due to the exploitation of them by the wealth class. It is a reversion to a more feudal mindset of master/slave. The business elites have tremendous power and is why Buchanan went down there to rewite their constitution. It sanctified business power.
Our fascists in this country would love to push our current neoliberalism further, into the realm of a cartel economic system that was seen in Nazi Germany. With our current oligopolies, we are nearly there now. Nazi Germany was loaded with oligopolies. They were not constrained by government.
That a fraction of Chile's society still admires Pinochet, Steve, reminds one of the fraction of U.S. society that still loves Trump. They are a clear and present danger for all to see. Thankfully, FBI is finally seeing it!
Yes, I get that about their thinking about violence. I was just surprised The Proud Boys had any historical knowledge of another country's murderous past....especially one in Latin America. I think of them as White Supremecists and U.S. or European-centric. My ignorance, clearly! Thank you, Steve. ..