U.S. Military in Paraguay Prepares To “Spread Democracy”

The need for greater policiing in the “Triple Frontera” has long been a public relations strategy for pushing US foreign policy in Latin America. The excuse of fighting “terrorism” is seen as a means of establishing a greater military presence in the Southern Cone.

This is a very good independent article that addresses the US military build-up on the South American continent. The parallel between the news about the current establishment of the newly refurbished Estigarribia base in Paraguay and the history of the US air base in Manta, Ecuador, should not be taken lightly.

Of great concern is the US government demand for immunity to be granted to US military personnel, a shameful stance to take for a nation that is ostensibly promoting democracy and accountability.

Controversy is raging in Paraguay, where the U.S. military is conducting secretive operations. 500 U.S. troops arrived in the country on July 1st with planes, weapons and ammunition. Eyewitness reports prove that an airbase exists in Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay, which is 200 kilometers from the border with Bolivia and may be utilized by the U.S. military. Officials in Paraguay claim the military operations are routine humanitarian efforts and deny that any plans are underway for a U.S. base. Yet human rights groups in the area are deeply worried.

White House officials are using rhetoric about terrorist threats in the tri-border region (where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet) in order to build their case for military operations, in many ways reminiscent to the build up to the invasion of Iraq. (1)

The tri-border area is home to the Guarani Aquifer, one of the world’s largest reserves of water. Near the Estigarribia airbase are Bolivia’s natural gas reserves, the second largest in Latin America. Political analysts believe U.S. operations in Paraguay are part of a preventative war to control these natural resources and suppress social uprisings in Bolivia.

Argentine Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Perez Esquivel commented on the situation in Paraguay, “Once the United…

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I believe I found GNN and started reading from these pages during the 2000 election fiasco, but I started this manyhues blog on September 11, 2005, while working on pulp and wood products industry issues in Southern Chile. I posted another series of blogs...