NEW YORK -- The death of Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, on Dec. 10, Human Rights Day, marks an appropriate coincidence: the end of one of the bloodiest tyrants in recent Latin American history at one of the most significant human-rights celebrations.
Although his supporters praise Pinochet's contribution to the fight against communism, most Chileans also remember the thousands of "disappeared" and the tens of thousands of Chilean tortured under his regime.
There are several lessons to be learned from Pinochet's rule in Chile. Perhaps one of the most notable is the danger that foreign intervention represent in the affairs of a country. Pinochet's rule was possible not only because of domestic opposition to President Salvador Allende but also because of the crucial role played by the U.S. government in Allende's downfall.