Word: dominicans
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...answer is: very little. Juan Bosch captured the problem several weeks ago in a typical epigram: "These elections are a fine solution for the U.S. but none at all for the Dominican Republic." Free elections allow CBS reporters, as one did last week, to enthuse about "the transition from ballots to bullets." This alliterative interpretation overlooks the fact that there is absolutely no guarantee that this election will change Dominican political realities any more than did the 1962 exercize...
Here is the crux of the problem: "The President has no guns." A year ago, this was not the case. The "constitutionalist" revolution of April, 1965 gave the Dominican people their first, and perhaps their last, chance to break out of the political prison constructed for them by Trujillo and his heirs. The urban populace--in Santo Domingo and Santiago and San Francisco--armed itself, split and then defeated the military, and came within hours of constructing a new ruling coalition: liberal lawyers and professors, progressive businessmen, small peasants, students, and workers...
...panicked, remembered "Cuba," Josts its senses, and flooded the country with troops. Claiming to be "neutral," the U.S. contingent promptly reinforced the retreating and broken right-wing of the Dominican military. The revolution, so near victory, was first blunted, then squeezed into the older portions of Santo Domingo, and finally forced to surrender. The old clique of generals, so near defeat, was brought back to life with rapid infusions of weapons, money, men, and encouragement. Finally, after the political "balance" had been firmly re-established, the U.S. created a provisional government, set a date for elections, and withdrew its peace...
...wing officers have left the country. The U.S. refuses to see anything "irregular" in this. Several times the provisional government has combed Santo Domingo to disarm constitutionalist civilians, though even the communist factions--which are very small--have foresworn recourse to violence. Yet the U.S. continues to supply the Dominican military. Recently the "neutral" peace force began training the Dominican army in antiguerilla methods...
Again a Bosch epigram cuts to the essence of the matter: "I have long known the Dominican Republic could not have democracy without the United States; now I see we cannot have democracy with the United States." For democracy is more than a technically free election. It is a way of running a society. Until the Republic can build a democratic society, it cannot enjoy a genuinely democratic government. And there will be no democratic society until the U.S. ceases supporting and financing all the anti-democratic interest groups in that society...