“Until now, Central America has always understood that governments that we recognize and support stay in power, while those we do not recognize and support, fall”

—  Noam Chomsky

Quotes 1960s-1980s, 1980s, Talk at University of California, Berkeley, 1984
Context: There have been times, however, when US officials have described what's going on in relatively frank terms; sometimes quite clearly. One put the matter in these words: "The Central American area down to and including the Isthmus of Panama constitutes a legitimate sphere of influence for the United States [... ] We do control the destinies of Central America and we do so for the simple reason that the national interest absolutely dictates such a course [... ] We must decide whether we shall tolerate the interference of any other power in Central American affairs, or insist upon our own dominant position [... ] Until now, Central America has always understood that governments that we recognize and support stay in power, while those we do not recognize and support, fall [... ] Nicaragua has become a test case, it is difficult to see how we can afford to be defeated." That's fairly familiar. These remarks were made by Under Secretary of State Robert Olds in 1927, and the outside power that he was concerned about was Mexico. [audience laughter] Mexico at that time was a Russian proxy. We were no longer fighting Huns in the Dominican Republic, now we were fighting Russians in Nicaragua, and in particular the Russian proxy Mexico. Mexico was then a proxy of the Bolsheviks, so the Marines had to be sent in, once again, and they established Somoza, and established the National Guard which was the basis for American power throughout the region, and in fact one of the most effective murder-incorporated forces down there for many years. They killed Sandino, he was killed off by stealth couple of years later, the guerilla leader. As President Coolidge sent the Marines in, he made the following declaration: "Mexico is on trial before the world." Mexico is on trial before the world as a proxy of the Soviet Union when we send the Marines into Nicaragua. Now things have changed a little bit, now it's Nicaragua that's threatening Mexico as a Russian proxy... But again there's the same conclusion, you know, kill the spics and the niggers and so on. That follows no matter who's the proxy for who. And all of this is repeated at every moment of history with great seriousness and awe and so on as if it had some meaning, as if it wasn't just some black comedy.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Until now, Central America has always understood that governments that we recognize and support stay in power, while th…" by Noam Chomsky?
Noam Chomsky photo
Noam Chomsky 334
american linguist, philosopher and activist 1928

Related quotes

James O'Barr photo

“We do not recognize our souls until they are in pain.”

Source: The Crow

Rose Wilder Lane photo

“What I can't understand is, how can anybody figure now that the government can support us, when we support the government.”

Rose Wilder Lane (1886–1968) American journalist

Source: Give Me Liberty (1936), p. 47

Fidel Castro photo

“Scorn relations with the imperialist Government of the United States, a Government of genocide and decadence
..
We have supported, we are supporting and we shall support revolutionary movements in Latin America.
..
We feel very well outside the O. A. S., in fact better than inside. The O. A. S. is an organization that is bound to disappear.”

Fidel Castro (1926–2016) former First Secretary of the Communist Party and President of Cuba

19 April 1971 in Havana, according to 20 April 1971 New York Times article https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/20/archives/castro-rejects-new-ties-to-us-premier-in-havana-speech-also.html

“This is one of the cruelties of the theatre of life; we all think of ourselves as stars and rarely recognize it when we are indeed mere supporting characters or even supernumeraries.”

Robertson Davies (1913–1995) Canadian journalist, playwright, professor, critic, and novelist

Source: The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business/The Manticore/World of Wonders

Ismail Haniyeh photo

“We will never recognize the usurper Zionist government and will continue our jihad-like movement until the liberation of Jerusalem.”

Ismail Haniyeh (1963) Palestinian politician

"Haniyeh: Hamas Will Not Recognize Israel" http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2006/12/08/ap3240289.html, Forbes, December 8, 2006

Ro Khanna photo

“We are supporting Saudi Arabia while they inflict unthinkable human rights violations on the Yemeni people. Congress must do its job and stop providing military support and arm sales to the Saudi government.”

Ro Khanna (1976) U.S. Representative from California

Source: Twitter post https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/1080272966250708992 (2 January 2019)

George W. Bush photo

“"We support the election process. We support democracy, but that doesn't mean that we have to support governments that get elected as a result of democracy." Bush commenting about the Palestinian elections that resulted in Hamas coming to power in the Gaza Strip. March 29, 2006”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

"Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush" http://books.google.co.kr/books?id=1mEa-o1LGa8C, p.617
2000s, 2006

Bill Clinton photo

“[Iraq is] not Vietnam, we have a government that has a support of the majority of the people.”

Bill Clinton (1946) 42nd President of the United States

Late Show with David Letterman, June 16, 2005
2000s

Friedrich Nietzsche photo

“We do not believe in any right that is not supported by the power of enforcement”

Sec. 120 (Spring-Fall 1887)
The Will to Power (1888)
Context: More natural is our position in politics: We see problems of power, of one quantum of power against another. We do not believe in any right that is not supported by the power of enforcement: we feel all rights to be conquests.

Ted Nugent photo

Related topics