254 pages ; 23 cm

This study exposes the support that administrations in Washington have given right-wing dictatorships that committed terrorism especially during the cold war and war on terrorism. It rejects the narrow definition of terrorism insisted on by Washington that exempts terrorism committed by governments (state terrorism) from the definition, and for political reasons restricts the term solely to the private terrorism committed by private individuals or non-governmental organizations. Every one of the six truth commission reports used in the studyone each for El Salvador, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa and two with remarkably similar conclusions for Guatemala-- found that the governments were responsible for the great preponderance of terrorism and other acts of repression that occurred in their respective countries, much more so than the guerrillas. [publisher web site]

Includes bibliographical references (pages 232-249) and index

Introduction: Terrorism strikes home ; Defining terrorism: problems and perspectives ; The contents of this book ; State terrorism and silence: Hamburg -- 1. The School of the Americas and terror in El Salvador: The School of the Americas ; El Salvador: The Seminal revolt and massacre ; Washington teaches and underwrites counterinsurgency ; Counterinsurgency operationalized in El Salvador ; The UN Truth Commission on El Salvador ; The aftermath ; Conclusion -- 2. Guatemala: A country incommunicado: Why Guatemala? ; Assigning blame for violence in Guatemala ; Counterinsurgency training ; The report of the Archdiocese of Guatemala City ; The charge of genocide ; The key role of the Army and Intelligence agencies ; Washington's complicity ; The aftermath -- 3. Chile: The forgotten past is full of memory: Why Chile? ; Denying social change through electoral processes ; The Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation ; Intelligence agencies, the counterinsurgency doctrine and torture ; The aftermath ; Conclusion -- 4. Argentina's dirty war: Another coup waging law and order : Nunca mas: Report of the Argentine Commission on the Disappeared ; Argentinian state terrorism ; Washington's support for state terrorism in Argentina ; The aftermath -- 5. South Africa, Apartheid, and terror: Apartheid ; The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report ; Applying terror ; Washington's policy toward South Africa ; The impact of Pretoria's total strategy on neighboring countries ; Washington, South Africa and weapons of mass destruction -- 6. Indonesia: Three series of massacres: The anti-communist massacres: Indonesia : The first East Timor massacres ; The second East Timor massacres ; Conclusion -- 7. The Root doctrine and some notorious instances of U.S. support for dictators: The Root doctrine ; Nicaragua, The Somozas, and the Sandanistas: From Coolidge to Bush, Sr. ; The Congo: From Kennedy to Bush, Sr. ; The Khmer Rouge: From Carter to Bush, Sr. ; Conclusion -- 8. The roots of the War on Terrorism: Washington's policies in the Middle East: Washington installs and supports the Shah of Iran ; Saddam Hussein, 1979-1990 ; Washington's complicity in Israeli state terrorism ; Conclusion -- 9. The War on Terrorism: The nature of the War on Terrorism ; Afghanistan: No end in sight ; The third Persian Gulf War ; Counterterrorism: The root doctrine gets a face-life -- 10. Conclusions and recommendations: The major findings of the study ; Washington's policy toward the International Criminal Court ; In search of an appropriate response to terrorism ; A Truth Commission for Washington

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