US Governments Have Repeatedly Supported Atrocities Worldwide: A Study of Rhetorical Strategies

Strategic Insights -

For decades, the United States has consistently provided support to governments committing mass atrocities, despite the mounting evidence of violence against civilian populations. This phenomenon is not new, with previous administrations employing various tactics to distance themselves from these atrocities, including feigned ignorance, obfuscation, negation, diversion, aggrandizement, and quiet diplomacy. A recent study of official statements, declassified documents, and media reports across four cases – Indonesia in East Timor, Guatemala, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and Israel in Gaza – reveals the U.S. government's reliance on these rhetorical strategies to maintain its impunity in global violence.

Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. government has historically provided support to governments committing mass atrocities, including Israel, Indonesia, Guatemala, and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
  • U.S. officials have employed six rhetorical strategies to publicly distance themselves from these atrocities: feigned ignorance, obfuscation, negation, diversion, aggrandizement, and quiet diplomacy.
  • Feigned ignorance involves denying any knowledge of atrocities perpetrated by parties receiving U.S. support, as demonstrated by General Joseph Votel's response to Senator Angus King in 2020: "Senator, we do not" track the purpose of missions.
  • Obfuscation is used to muddle the facts, as when the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta sent a telegram to the Secretary of State in 1983 stating that they had "not received substantiation from other sources" regarding massacres committed by Indonesian forces.
  • Negation involves arguing that U.S. aid was not directly used in the commission of atrocities, as when the George H.W. Bush administration claimed that "none of the Indonesian military officers present at Santa Cruz had received U.S. training" after the 1991 massacre.
  • Diversion involves making highly publicized policy adjustments that rarely involve significant changes, such as the Clinton administration's 1996 decision to suspend arms sales to Indonesia while continuing to provide advanced weaponry.
  • Aggrandizement involves praising leaders responsible for atrocities, as when President Ronald Reagan praised Indonesia's President Suharto in 1982 for his "judicious leadership."
  • Quiet diplomacy involves claiming to engage in behind-the-scenes efforts to rein in recipients of U.S. support, while continued support remains necessary for these efforts to succeed.

Statistics:

  • Since 2015, the United States has provided billions of dollars in support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, despite reports of civilian casualties and human rights abuses.
  • In 1991, the Indonesian military killed approximately 100 people in a massacre at a cemetery in Dili, East Timor.
  • Between 1965 and 1999, Indonesia's Suharto regime was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1-3 million people.
  • In 2020, the U.S. provided $3.8 billion in aid to Israel, including $500 million in military aid.
  • In 2015, the Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen, resulting in widespread civilian casualties and human rights abuses.

Sources:

  • Scott Paul, Yemen expert, "No one can feign surprise when lots of civilians are killed anymore."
  • Declassified documents, "U.S. Embassy in Jakarta telegram to the Secretary of State, 1983"
  • The Conversation, "US Governments Have Repeatedly Supported Atrocities Worldwide: A Study of Rhetorical Strategies"
  • President Ronald Reagan's statement on Indonesia's President Suharto in 1982
  • The State Department's 1982 report on human rights in Guatemala
  • Human Rights Watch report on Guatemala in the 1960s
  • The George H.W. Bush administration's response to the 1991 massacre in East Timor