This article discusses the two general approaches to foreign affairs taken by the AFL-CIO since 1962, considering foreign policy under Presi dents George Meany and Lane Kirkland (1962-95), and comparing them to the emerging foreign policy of President John Sweeney (since 1995).
Central to this article is a detailed examination of the U.S. attack against Chilean President Salvador Allende between 1970-73. Particular attention is paid to the crucial role played by the AFL-CIO's American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD) in destabilizing the economy and causing social turmoil that preceded the violent military coup against Allende on September 11, 1973.
This article argues the need to expand the Sweeney approach, while recognizing that what has already been achieved is a major advance over the traditional efforts. Debating foreign policy openly in the Federation's unions, and opening the AFL-CIO archives on its foreign operations, especially those in Chile, are suggested as immediate steps that should be taken in efforts to build a worker-supportive foreign policy.
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