A forgotten Sept. 11 in Chile

By Justin Cox

September 14, 2004

For an American in Chile, no topic generates more spontaneous discussion than 9-11 and the events that followed. I have been working in my school for more than seven weeks now, but I still get questions about los torres gemelos (the twin towers) almost daily. All of the students are curious about whether I saw the towers as they went down, if I had family or friends in New York at the time or if I visited the crater that we dubbed "ground zero."

Less common, and less expected, has been the question that older Chileans ask in more intimate settings: Do Americans know about Chile's Sept. 11?

I have to tell them that, sadly, no, most Americans have no clue about what happened on Sept. 11, 1973, in this small country South America. They don't know how the legitimately elected president of Latin America's longest-running, most stable democracy was overthrown in a coup that led to a nearly two-decade rule by a general named Pinochet. Though it is common knowledge here, most people in the States also do not know the role that the American CIA played in tripping up that democratic government, nor how thousands of political opponents were imprisoned, killed and "disappeared" in the months that followed Chile's 9-11.

Thirty years ago we helped replace a democratic government with a shamefully oppressive military regime. Why? The specific reasons are varied, but they all boiled down to the morally bankrupt notion of strategic self-interest. In short, the American government did not like the socialist policies of Salvador Allende, Chile's president. The fact that Chile has a huge share of the world's copper probably was not a coincidence, either.

In the eyes of many in Latin Americans, we acted as a bully, bending the world to our will because we wanted to and could. Claiming the moral high ground today in our fight against global terrorism -- even though it is a just fight -- smacks of hypocrisy to those who have been the victims of previous American interventions.

Those who have been adversely affected by America's actions abroad are not isolated to Chile. Panama, Colombia, Grenada and Mexico -- to name just a few -- have been left with fewer rights and less freedom once our military and government agents left (in those places where they actually have left).

Yes, we have done a lot of good for the region, but I have heard from many Chileans that although gringos used to be considered heroes, now we are just seen as normal, self-interested human beings who happened to be lucky enough to have been born in the wealthiest, strongest country in the world. If you look at our record since our last great fight with evil -- World War II -- it is easy to see why they think that way.

Justin Cox is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and is spending six months teaching English in Chile.