November 6,1999
NPR's Nov.4,1999, broadcast included two reports on foreign affairs which were similarly incomplete. The report by Tom Jelton on Columbia's civil war acknowledged the dispute is an internal civil conflict, and stressed the US reluctance to attach specific political conditions to the hundreds of millions of dollars proposed for foreign aid to Columbia, ostensibly to combat drug trafficing. Nevertheless, the vast sums of money are putting pressure on the rebels to negotiate and are a critical interference in Columbia's politics, with or without strings attached. In addition, the Jelton report fails to make even passing mention of the right-wing para-military militias which have covert support from the Columbian military, and will therefore be empowered by the money from the US.
The second report, by Jennifer Luden, about the Iranian Revolution and the 20th anniversary of the seizure of the US Embassy, was also incomplete in that very little explanation was offered of the basis for the revolution and the hostility of the hostage-takers toward the US. The regime of the Shah Palavi was described as brutal and supported by the US, however, the report did not convey to listeners the extent of the US support. The 1953 US-backed overthrow of the democratically-elected Mohammed Mosaddeq was not mentioned. US listeners know very little about Mosaddeq who was attempting to nationalize the oil resources of the country for the benefit of the Iranian people. The US and British oil companies portrayed him as a communist, and after his overthrow they seized principal control of the Iranian oil resources and installed the Shah Palavi to protect their interests.
In the Columbian situation the US foreign policy demonstrates that we have learned nothing from the total failure of our disasterous meddling 46 years ago in the internal politics of Iran (or 30 years ago in Vietnam). Then our excuse was the Cold War; now it is a War on Drugs. The unwillingness of the media to call such history to the attention of the public insures we will repeat our errors.