In Latin America, this messaging amounts to an open endorsement of the state terrorism and genocide that 20th-century military dictatorships and regional repressive coordination efforts -- such as Plan Condor, an illegal operation by military regimes in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay to capture and disappear political opponents across borders -- deployed to combat the guerrillas.

Rubio's threat appears clear: Washington is willing to repeat that extreme state violence -- and the egregious human rights violations it led to -- in order to stop modern-day "left-wing terrorists".