'Refusing to Learn:  from El Salvador to Colombia,'
a lecture by former ambassador Robert E. White
Robert E. White Robert E. White, former ambassador to El Salvador and Paraguay, presented a sharp critique of the United States' involvement in Colombia and the rest of Latin America in a lecture March 28, 2001, before a packed Lombardo Student Center Conference Room. It was White's similarly blunt pursuit of justice following the murders of the four North American church women in El Salvador that led to pressure for his resignation as ambassador to that country.  White is president of the Center for International Policy, a Washington-based foreign policy research organization. 

Click on the image for each part of the speech.

Part I: Opening comments regarding U.S. involvement in Latin America. (22 min., 7 sec.)

Part II: An analysis of "Plan Colombia," basis for U.S. actions in that country. (20:03)

Q&A

 Click on the image for each part of the speech.
1. Why does the U.S. want to get involved in another country's civil war? (2:44) 6. When did you say you were told by Paraguay that the U.S. was involved in Operation Condor? (From Question #4) Did you believe it at the time? (1:14)
2. To what extent are U.S. oil interests involved? (1:26) 7. Is there any connection between the U.S. air base in El Salvador and the operation you've described? (5:20)
3. Did you know the vice president of Occidental Petroleum was a lobbyist for Plan Colombia? (0:51) 8. Do you see any hope for change in our foreign policy in Latin America? (3:21)
4. Would you comment on the role of the School of the Americas in Latin America, and whether it should be closed? (2:55) 9. What answer did you get back from your telegram from Paraguay? Was it an unsubstantiated allegation on Paraguay's part? (3:57)
5. Do the pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. have a legitimate use for the cocoa leaf? (0:40) 10. To what extent would Plan Colombia embolden other military leaders and oligarchies to resist reform? (2:34)
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