Jean Kirkpatrick: Machiavellian Wonderwoman

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Jean Kirkpatrick: Machiavellian Wonderwoman

In 1979 Jean Kirkpatrick published Dictatorships And Double Standards, an article dealing with U.S. foreign policy under Jimmy Carter, including policy toward the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Kirkpatrick argues that Carter “abhors only right wing autocrats” ((43) and that he ignores the primary goal in foreign policy which should be U.S. interests. In her world view, the end justifies the means and stability should be sought over any sentimental notions about democracy for, or sovereignty of foreign nations. She argues that Latin America is not fertile for democracy and that, in the long run, supporting right wing dictatorships will lead to a better chance at this goal, to be achieved at a later date. In her Machiavellian prescription for Nicaragua she downplays the horrors of Somoza and misrepresents the character of the Sandinista revolution. The violence that occurred under the Reagan administration in the eighties can be seen as the realization of the Kirkpatrick school of thought and the results were extremely negative for Nicaragua.

Kirkpatrick is unimpressed with the Sandinistas who she claims did not have the support of the people. She states that it was erroneous for the Carter administration to believe “there existed at the moment of crisis a democratic alternative to the incumbent government” (36). But the Sandinistas were easily victorious in open and fair elections in 1984 (which were approved by numerous observers from all over the world). It is also worth wondering what a “democratic alternative” is when the party in power is a brutally repressive family dynasty that did not allow elections and had ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years. To Kirkpatrick “...

... middle of paper ...

...or example) her assertion does not hold up.

So when the question is asked: “Why would Kirkpatrick support the harassment and overthrow of popular governments and support right wing authoritarian regimes who keep order by use of deathsquads?” the answer can’t be, as she claims, that they offer the best hope for eventual democracy in said country. To her “U.S. interests” are the only criteria that matter, specifically the interests of corporations and elites. This of course shows her disdain for the democratic process not only in countries that should know their place, but also here in the U.S.. Surely, she can’t believe that the majority of the American public would agree with her if they knew the facts.

Bibliographical note: Besides the two assigned readings I used the following book:

Blum,William. Killing Hope. Monroe: Common Courage Press, 1995.

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