AOC Urges US To Apologize For Past Interventions In Latin America: 'Hard To Move Forward When There Is A Huge Elephant In The Room'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) urged the U.S. government to officially apologize for its history of interventions in Latin America.

What Happened: In a recent dialogue with The Guardian, AOC urged the US to confront its past mistakes as a crucial step towards establishing positive diplomatic relationships. She pointed to these past actions as significant contributors to the current instability in the region.

“I believe that we owe Chile, and not just Chile but many aspects of that region, an apology,” she said. 

“I don’t think that apology indicates weakness; I think it indicates a desire to meet our hemispheric partners with respect.”

See Also: McCarthy Says No Biden Impeachment Inquiry Without House Vote

The New York Democrat underscored the impact of past U.S. actions on current relations and stressed the necessity for actions that rebuild trust.

“It’s very hard for us to move forward when there is this huge elephant in the room and a lack of trust due to that elephant in the room,” she said.

She called attention to the U.S. role in toppling governments in the region, citing examples such as the removal of Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz and Brazilian president João Goulart during the 1950s and 1960s.

Why It Matters: Having recently visited Chile, Brazil, and Colombia as part of a congressional delegation, AOC aims to reshape the U.S. relationship with Latin American nations. She has also called for the declassification of information regarding the CIA’s involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup that topped Salvador Allende. 

“The first step around that is acknowledgment and saying we want to approach this region in the spirit of mutual respect, and I think that’s new and it’s historic,” she emphasized, underlining the importance of transparency in fostering future US-Latin American relations.

Photos On Shutterstock.com

Read Next: Disney Firefighters Who Backed Ron DeSantis Face Benefit Cuts By Company’s New Board: Report