The El Salvador Solution

Unfortunately history repeats. Again and again one hears in the media,and in the Vice-Presidential debate, the idea of an El Salvador solution in Iraq. It seems in the mainstream this is a good thing. A little "revisionism" is in order here. In the late 1970's peasants, workers, students and lots of other folks stated to organize against the dreadful lives and government of El Salvador. This was met with repression, death squads organized by the military and the CIA, that killed tens of thousands. Revolutionary forces then grew and merged because of a lack of democratic alternatives. The Carter administration was afraid that revolutionary change might occur like they had in 1979 in Nicaragua so they rushed tons of aid to a miltary junta that slaughtered tens of thousands in the name of anti-communism. Then came "reform:" both economic and democratic. This means they try to buy people off and hold elections that prove that the people rule.

Today the talking heads see this plan as positive and they want to re-produce a version in Iraq. Allan Nairn explains the El Salvador solution.