Since 1945, the U.S. has actively undermined Latin American governments that didn't agree with American policy, replacing them with more amenable regimes—often, right wing dictatorships. In The War on Democracy, independent journalist and filmmaker John Pilger reports on the resulting backlash to this kind of intervention: popular movements that Pilger says are “struggling to free themselves from a modern form of slavery.” The case study here is Venezuela, where in 2002 massive demonstrations returned President Hugo Chavez to power after a failed military coup. Pilger interviews subjects who present many sides of this story: the poor living in the barrios who benefit from Chavez's policies, the rich who feel threatened, U.S. government officials who deny any direct involvement in the 2002 coup attempt, and Chavez himself, who feels indebted to the people. Placing these events in context, Pilger chronicles some of the uglier episodes of U.S. involvement in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Chile over the past 60 years, drawing on comments from interviewees with a wide range of perspectives, including former CIA officials, historians, and victims of torture. Returning to the present, Pilger also visits Bolivia, where another popular movement resulted in the election of the first president of indigenous descent, Evo Morales. DVD extras include two PDF files containing a filmmaker bio and production notes. An incisive, focused look at the aftermath of America's attempts to spread democracy in Latin America, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Wadland)
The War on Democracy
(2007) 94 min. DVD or VHS: $295. Youngheart Entertainment (dist. by Bullfrog Films). PPR. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-59458-751-5 (dvd), 1-59458-750-7 (vhs). Volume 23, Issue 6
The War on Democracy
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