Print
Email
ShareThe Bolivarian Alliance and the Hugo Chavez Propaganda Machine
Joel D. Hirst discusses the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and its ambitious plan to control information across...
Interviewee: Peter Kornbluh
Interviewer: Stephanie Hanson
April 9, 2007
The National Security Archive is an independent nongovernmental institution that publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. Lawsuits by the Archive have brought new materials on events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Iran-Contra Affair into the public domain and changed the way scholars interpret those events. Peter Kornbluh, senior analyst at the National Security Archive and director of its Cuba and Chile documentation projects, discusses the Archive's work in Latin America.
Kornbluh discusses the recent release of documents related to the Chiquita Banana scandal, in which Chiquita admitted it funded a Colombian paramilitary group responsible for many civilian massacres. He says these documents have widened a major scandal linking paramilitary groups to the Colombian government.
He explains how the Archive decides what kind of material to pursue under the Freedom of Information Act and how it has now started to help Latin America countries develop their own Freedom of Information Acts. Several massive discoveries of documents covering repression during the military dictatorships of the 1970s, he says, sparked the development of coalitions that can press for access to these documents. The declassification process will "strengthen democracy, transparence, and accountability, which is so sorely lacking in so many Latin American countries."
Terms of Use: I understand that I may access this audio and/or video file solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write outreach@cfr.org.
Countering Criminal Violence in Central America
The author assesses the causes and consequences of the violence faced by several Central American countries and examines the national, regional, and international efforts intended to curb its worst effects.
No One's World
A renowned scholar maps out the twenty-first-century world, providing a detailed strategy for reconciling the West with the "rise of the rest." More
The US-South Korea Alliance
A new volume explores the possibilities for enhanced U.S.-South Korea cooperation in both traditional and nontraditional spheres. More
Joel D. Hirst discusses the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and its ambitious plan to control information across...
Grupo Salinas chairman and founder Ricardo Salinas discusses the challenges of doing business in Latin America with CFR Board Member Donna...
Joel D. Hirst says the Obama Administration's "reset button" on failed policies in Latin America could not come at a better moment, and...
Latin Americans must look in the mirror and confront the reality that many of our problems lie not in our stars but in ourselves. Only then...