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From: gabor@qantel.UUCP (Gabor Fencsik@ex2642)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Deja vu in the Philippines
Message-ID: <270@qantel.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Oct-84 22:48:34 EST
Article-I.D.: qantel.270
Posted: Mon Oct 29 22:48:34 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Nov-84 04:07:40 EST
References: <798@flairvax.UUCP>
Organization: MDS Qantel, Hayward, CA
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[]
Philippines exploding? Revolution inevitable? Maybe yes and maybe no.

Along with Iran and Nicaragua, there is another pattern of events just as
spectacular. Greece, Portugal, Spain and Argentina were run by repressive
military regimes enjoying U.S. support. They are now democracies enjoying
U.S. support. These changes happened in just one decade with almost zero
violence. Brazil is moving in the same direction.

Aside from the Helms-Buckley-Kirkpatrick wing, I don't think the U.S has
shown a marked preference for repressive regimes as such. The foreign
policy establishment has a genuine aversion to risk and upheaval. It will
therefore support the status quo, whatever it is, even if a change is clearly
in our national interest. A good illustration: even the collapse of OPEC
is not, apparently, considered desirable in some foreign policy circles.
It would be 'destabilizing', you see.