Supporting dictators harms the United States as much as host nations

Evidence

While some defend the presence of U.S. bases in repressive, undemocratic countries as necessary for supporting “U.S. interests” (that is, generally, corporate economic interests), backing dictators and autocrats frequently harms not only host nation citizens but also the United States and U.S. citizens as well. Honduras provides a telling example of what the CIA would call “blowback” from U.S. support for repressive regimes during Central America’s civil wars. Popularized by the onetime CIA analyst Chalmers Johnson, the term “blowback” refers to the unintended consequences of covert operations whose causes the public cannot understand precisely because the precipitating operations were covert. Put simply, the United States reaps what it secretly sows. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 311

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘blowback’ as unintended consequences of covert operations that the public cannot understand because the operations were secret.
• XREF: Connects to the 1960s-era dialectic of revelation and concealment discussed in Chomsky/consent-manufacturing readings, and Chalmers Johnson’s broader critique of the empire of bases. — connects to: US funds and arms its dictatorial allies to block domestic challenges; US policy repeatedly wrecked democratic movements and installed dictators in MENA
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 311