The resolution also calls for the declassification of all U.S. documents related to the coup and its aftermath.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and several other U.S. lawmakers introduced a resolution on Thursday that formally commemorates the 50th anniversary of the deadly 1973 military coup in Chile and apologizes for the role the United States played in the toppling of the Latin American nation’s democratically elected government.
The resolution also calls for the declassification of all remaining U.S. documents related to the coup and the events preceding and following it.
“Let me be clear: we must stand up for democracy here in the United States and beyond,” Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. “And that means we must also acknowledge that the United States has not always defended democracy abroad, and in fact, has sometimes done the opposite.”
“As we mark the 50th anniversary of the horrific coup in Chile, we must make clear that we regret our involvement and commit to supporting Chilean democracy,” he added. “To build the lasting partnerships we need in this hemisphere, we will need to establish a basis of trust and respect. Part of that process includes full accountability for the coup and its aftermath.”
The new resolution comes after Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined a group of U.S. lawmakers on a Latin America trip that included a stop in Chile, where the New York Democrat stressed the importance of declassifying the coup-related documents to shed more light on the Nixon administration’s role in the violent ouster of Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973.
Too bad this apology decades after the fact won’t undo what happened and won’t prevent the US from carrying out actions like this in the present and the future. It’s better than nothing, but in the context of the actual global policies of the US, it’s fluff. The US has always been good with PR, so I’m not surprised that you think this empty gesture is meaningful in any way.
Contrast the op with say, an apology by China for the tienamen square massacre. Oh wait…
Again, an apology without correcting behavior is meaningless. What’s the point of this apology if the US is still invading and couping countries on the regular? I’d rather no apology and just stopping that.
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