Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Today, the FMLN
is a legitimate politi-
cal force in El Salvador.
Rather than the more
sinister black and red
of its guerilla rebellion
days, FMLN propa-
ganda comes in a cheerier
white and red. h ey are
welcome…as long as they
don't get too powerful.
Democracy in countries
that function as the quar-
ries of capitalism reminds
me of a bonsai tree: You keep it in the window for others to see, and when
it grows too big, you cut it back.
Who does the cutting? It's still the USA. Much as US corporations
wield an undue inl uence over Latin American business, the US government
continues to exert its authority over “democracies” south of our border. For
example, in El Salvador's 2004 presidential elections, the left-wing FMLN
candidate seemed poised to win. h e US sent an envoy, Jeb Bush, to El Sal-
vador to feed the rumor that if the FMLN won, the US would expel the
two million Salvadorans living in America. h e loss of money from these
Salvadoran expats sent to their starving relatives back home would be dev-
astating. A TV ad showed a woman opening an envelope from the US and
reading a letter from her son: “Sorry, mom, if the FMLN wins, this will be
the last money I can send from the USA.” A week later, the right wing and
US-friendly ARENA party won big.
You can argue whether American meddling in Latin American politics
is justii ed. Either way, it makes me uncomfortable to think that a nation
founded on the principles of liberty and freedom wields such a strong inl u-
ence over l edgling democracies. In recent decades, throughout the devel-
oping world, the US has made it clear that if the left-wing candidates win,
“relations will suf e r.”
I asked Father Jon Sobrino (a leading Jesuit priest and scholar at the Uni-
versity of Central America) about America's inl uence on Salvadoran politics.
He s aid, “h
When asked “Who really runs El Salvador?,” most
Salvadorans would say simply, “The Embassy” (as the
American Embassy is called here). You can't miss it: It's
just above San Salvador, built upon the ruins of the old
pre-Columbian Indian capital.
ese days, when I hear the word 'democracy,' my bowels move.”
