Henry Kissinger US Statesman Against Third World Aspirations and Independence Winston Donald     © Copyright 2023 by Winston Donald

Photo courrtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Henry Kissinger’s influence unilaterally nearly destroyed the pillars of freedom fighting movements and countries in Africa, South and Central America as they strive to have a more meaningful democracy that include the masses and working classes and attempts to gain independence from colonization and sovereignty of their mineral resources.

Kissinger loathed Jamaica’s Socialist Michael Manley because Manley refused to let the American bauxite companies controlled and monopolized the country’s natural resources. His name in Jamaica was for years one that convey fear and sabotage among the left. I am sure the right wings may differ as he might have been seen as a supporter of the agencies and departments responsible for the export of machine guns and semi -automatic weapons to ignite political gang war in Jamaica.

Two weeks after Kissinger left the shores of Jamaica, having failed to get Manley’s approval of his Anti-African Independence Policy , the island saw the political flare up and violence in the capital Kingston. Then came the capture by the island’s police of American made Bush masters and M16 semi –automatic rifles. This was the first time in Jamaica history that these types of guns were ever used as prior to that there was no known ownership of weapons except for revolvers and shot guns. Even detective sleuths in the 1970’s did not carry semi automatic pistols but .38 special revolvers. Only officers of the Jamaica Defence Force would have been privilege to carry Browning semi automatic pistols and infantrymen the British SLR rifles but the departure of Kissinger saw North American guns flooding the ghettoes of the right wing opposition party led by American born Lebanese Edward Seaga. All theories pointed to Kissinger having talks with the CIA to flood Jamaican right wing supporters with guns to create mayhem. Manley accused Kissinger of creating the destablisation because he (Kissinger) did not get what he wanted such as total ownership of Jamaica’s bauxite by Kaiser, Reynolds and other US Bauxite companies and the support against the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique, South West Africa and Rhodesia.

Worst however was Kissinger’s anathema towards Africa. He vehemently used his power, position and influence to prevent almost all colonized African country’s independence. Again, his connection to this was demonstrated when on meeting Manley in Jamaica, Kissinger requested the firebrand Jamaican Prime Minister to stop support Africa. Manley’s answer was that he would give Kissinger anything , even the bauxite company but he could not , according to his values and morals sacrificed Africa and African independence movement since Africa was in the blood of Jamaica. He reminded Kissinger that Jamaica was the first country in the world to boycott South African exports- nearly all Jamaican Port wines prior to the boycott came from South Africa.

Kissinger had a zero tolerance towards African leaders. He disrespected the African leaders at the United Nations seeing them as inferior statesmen. He rudely underestimated their intelligence and political leadership skills. Henry Kissinger in his flawed cold war political stance was never sympathetic to those people or country who suffered under colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism. As a deep supporter and believer of capitalism and imperialism, for him the west was to benefit at all means from African, Caribbean and developing countries resources for all he cared and he could not care less if Third World countries paid the price in continuous oppression, European colonialism, inequity in balance of trade and lack of revenue for their exports.

Kissinger’s tentacles against the democratic forces in the Third World were extensive. One example was his instrumentality in influencing President Nixon to set the stage for opposition to the Chilean Socialist and Marxist President Salvador Allende. As power leader in the role of Secretary of State Kissinger had a pivotal role in ensuring the duly elected Allende’s government was toppled by a military Coup under General Pinochet. In his usual character Kissinger stated that “the USA was favorably disposed to the junta. According to Seymour Herch, in a 1974 article the New York Times Journalist, “Kissinger was the dominant policymaker on Chile.” Kissinger told Nixon five days after the coup: "We didn't do it. I mean we helped them created the conditions as great as possible."

The result of this coup was seventeen years of murder and torture for left wing party supporters in Chile which resulted in deaths of tens of thousands of poor, middle class and urban proletarial. The Chilean state became a state intent on murdering all opponents that were socialists and communists and one can construe that Kissinger’s role sent thousands of innocent people to their early death.

History cannot stop freedom and liberation because despite Kissinger’s anti liberation and anti sovereign policies, Africa and Latin America triumphed by the early 1980’s with Rhodesia’s, Guinea Biseau, Angola’s and Mozambigue’s independence becoming a reality. Later in the 1990’s South Africa gained independence and Chile becoming once more a democratic nation in South America. In the Caribbean Grenada, St. Lucia and the Bahamas also gained their independence from colonizer the UK.