The Issue

Throughout this century, the cornerstone of U.S. policy in Latin America has been to align ourselves with governing elites that cooperate with U.S. corporations to exploit the land, labor, and other resources of their nations. These elites are closely tied to, or synonymous with, the militaries, which repress (often brutally) any popular efforts to organize for economic justice and effective political participation.

Besides arming Latin American militaries, the U.S. has solidified its ties by training the upper eschelons of their officer corps. Much of this training has taken place at the U.S. Army's School of the Americas (SOA), established in 1946 in Panama and moved to Ft. Benning, Georgia in 1984. Some of the hemisphere's most notorious military dictators are SOA graduates, as are the perpetrators of many of the most egregious civilian massacres.For a time, the SOA was even teaching torture techniques until its manual was made public (such training now goes on at less visible installations).

Despite U.S. Army boasts that SOA training includes a segment on democracy and human rights, the school retains its original mission--strengthening undemocratic elites by training their militaries to suppress internal unrest. It is no accident that the two largest contingents currently being trained are from Colombia and Mexico, where the governments are trying to repress insurgencies spurred by decades of economic exploitation.

In recent years, thanks largely to the courageous and tenacious witness of Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois, the SOA has come under increasing criticism in the national media and in Congress. In July 1999, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 230-197 last year to cut that portion of the SOA funding that comes through the Foreign Operations appropriations bill. The funds were restored by a single vote in the conference committee that reconciled the Senate and House versions of the bill, but the Pentagon knew it had to do something to stem the tide of opposition.

So this year (2000), in the Department of Defense appropriations bill, through which the other part of SOA funding is funneled, the SOA was officially closed. Cynically, the bill then called for opening the Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation. This was the SOA under a new name, and only the name had changed.

An amendment to cut funds for the "new" school failed by 10 votes in the House, with some former SOA opponents switching sides and others not voting. All four Houston-area Democrats in the House (Bentsen, Greene, Jackson-Lee, and Lampson) stayed solidly against funding, while the three Republicans (Archer, Brady, and DeLay) maintained their support.

Current Activity

The effort to cut Congressional funding will continue until victory is achieved. There will be other votes this term, including probably a stand-alone bill to close the new school similar to H732 (Moakley, D-MA) filed last year. There will be another large demonstration at Ft. Benning, Georgia, which will remain the home of the "new" school, November 17–19.

Campaigns

Local: The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers have led the campaign to close SOA. At least 40 people from Houston attended the national demonstration at Ft. Benning November 20-21, 1999, where more than 10,000 protestors gathered and 4,400 committed non-violent civil disobedience. Several excellent videotapes on the SOA are available to spread understanding of the horror of U.S. policy in Latin America. To borrow one, contact Awanda Whitworth at charlesrw@aol.com or (713)688-4329, or Don Zook at zookdonr@onramp.net or 281/353-4620.

National: School of the Americas Watch coordinates the campaign. Complete information, including the status of H.R. 732, can be accessed at www.soaw.org