Today’s New York Times reports that the Bush administration was considering the use of the US military in US soil against suspected Al Qaida operatives.
I’m always surprised of how little attention has been given to the ideological framework behind the Bush presidency, and in particular to its theoretical and practical similarities with the so-called “Doctrine of national security”. The latter was taught at the US Army’s School of the Americas in Panama throughout the 60’s and 70’s, and formed the theoretical underpinnings behind the military dictatorships in the Latin American region. It’s a relatively complex doctrine which includes the concept that those seen as enemies by the military (the true guardians of the state), which include those who support, sympathize or are even indifferent to the named enemy, are not protected by the rule of law, and can and should be eliminated. The doctrine calls for the use of the military to fight “terrorism” (by any means necessary) within national borders. The doctrine also calls for the tacit derogation of all human and constitutional rights, and the use of forced disappearances (AKA renditions), torture and extra-judicial executions.
For anyone who grew up under a military dictatorship in America, it’s impossible to not see the parallels between those governments and the Bush administration.