Tessa Bridal will address the parallels she sees between the counter-terrorism measures adopted in Latin America in the 1970s and those currently in use in the United States.

As the weeks went by after the 9/11 attacks and the war on terrorism was declared, I began to hear of detentions without charges or legal representation, and of congressional approval for conducting secret military trials. The more I heard, the more familiar the scenario became. In August 1977, the Uruguayan government also launched an ideological war, on communism, and gave its military authority to arrest and try civilians suspected of communist tendencies, disregarding the legal safeguards provided by the constitution. – Tessa Bridal

Originally from Uruguay, Ms. Bridal has lived in the United States for 30 years and is currently the director of Public Programs at the Science Museum of Minnesota. She is also the award-winning author of The Tree of Red Stars, a novel set in Uruguay during the Cold War, and a non-fiction book on the fate of children who disappeared from over 300 secret torture centers in Argentina.

Please note: MIC's World Chats are now being held on the fourth Wednesday of each month (except for November and December when they will meet on November 17 and December 15.)