President Dwight D. Eisenhower
signs the summit communiqué at a
precursor to the Summit of the Americas in 1956. Most of the leaders
in the Americas at the time were dictators.
Americas Summits:
A 'Conspiracy of Silence' on Human Rights (La Prensa, Panama)
"Now that
our country is for a second occasion to host an event bringing together heads
of state and governments of the Americas, it is striking that just as it was in
1956, democratic values and human rights will be discussed only rhetorically.
No one will dare point an accusing finger at Venezuela and/or Cuba, which are countries
that flout such concerns. … In 1956, when many of the protagonists were representatives
of cruel and bloody dictatorships, one could understand why such vital issues went
unaddressed, but how is it that in our America, where most countries proudly
proclaim themselves to be democracies, that the participants could partake in
such a conspiracy of silence?"
For the second time, our country is to host a summit of heads
of state and government of the Americas. The first, in 1956, convened to
commemorate the 130th anniversary of 1826 Amphictyonic
Congress, was attended by 19 leaders, including ruling dictators. Invited were
Fulgencio Batista of Cuba; Pedro Aramburu
of Argentina; Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay; Marcos
Perez Jimenez of Venezuela; Carlos Castillo Armas of
Guatemala; Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua; Héctor Trujillo (Rafael Trujillo's younger brother) of the
Dominican Republic; Manuel Odria of Peru and Gustavo
Rojas Pinilla, of Colombia.
There were also among the invited leaders who were not dictators:
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines of Mexico; JuscelinoKubitschek of Brazil; José Figueres
of Costa Rica; José Velasco Ibarra of Ecuador; Carlos Ibáñez del
Campo of Chile; and Alberto Zubiría of Uruguay.
The star and ideological reference point of the summit was U.S.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Those were the days of the Cold War when the world
teetered on the edge of confrontation between the anti-communist and pro-communist bloc led
by the Soviet Union.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
At the 1956 summit, one could discuss democratic values and
human rights only rhetorically. Since these issues did not place high the U.S.
foreign policy agenda, no one dared risk bringing them up.
Now that our country is for a second occasion to host an
event bringing together heads of state and governments of the Americas, it is
striking that just as it was in 1956, democratic values and human rights will
be discussed only rhetorically. No one will dare point an accusing finger at
Venezuela and/or Cuba, which are countries that flout such concerns.
In 1956, when many of the protagonists were representatives
of cruel and bloody dictatorships, one could understand why such vital issues went
unaddressed, but how is it that in our America, where most countries proudly
proclaim themselves to be democracies, that the participants could partake in
such a conspiracy of silence? How can one explain to our Venezuelan and Cuban
brothers, who are being subjugated and persecuted by their governments, that at
this "summit of equity," no head of state or government will be advocating
on their behalf?
