An intervention can be conducted in various ways and the US have engaged in nearly all of them. Although I am aware that economic interventions1have gained in importance in the last decades the focus will be on military interventions. These have mostly been conducted secretly and without the direct involvement of the US military. This gave room for rumours which were fed by anti US prejudice which in itself had developed among university scholars because of the interventionist culture. As time has elapsed many former secret documents are available for researchers and it has become easier to get a more objective view of the motivations of US policy. The very fact that the USA tried to cover up its involvement in these ‘operations’ indicates that their motivations were probably not of a philanthropical nature.
The foundations for the US involvement in Latin America were already laid out in 1823 in the Monroe Doctrine. It proclaimed the primacy of US interests in the Western Hemisphere, and in so doing declared a sphere of influence on a grand scale from which the European presence was proscribed. Until the intervention in Cuba it had little influence because the USA was caught up in the civil war and didn’t have the strength and resources yet to challenge the former colonial powers.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Intervention in Cuba
3. Intervention in Guatemala
4. Intervention in Chile
5. The attempted intervention in Cuba
6. Conclusions
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines U.S. interventionism in Latin America during the twentieth century, aiming to evaluate whether a common motivation underlies these actions or if they were driven by a variety of distinct factors.
- The evolution of U.S. foreign policy from the Monroe Doctrine to Cold War containment strategies.
- The interplay between economic interests, such as "dollar diplomacy," and political hegemony.
- The role of ideology, paternalism, and perceived national security threats in justifying military and covert actions.
- Comparative analysis of specific interventions in Cuba, Guatemala, and Chile.
Excerpts from the Book
Intervention in Cuba
The Cuban independence movement had nearly succeeded in its battle against the Spanish and even the former American ambassador admitted that the better part of the country was already under Cuban rule. The former ruling elites in Cuba, the peninsulares and creoles, felt that their power and wealth were threatened so they lobbied for an American Military intervention so that their former protector Spain was to be replaced by the US. This task was comparatively easy. Firstly because many wealthy Cubans were already conducting business with their wealthy neighbour or had even emigrated to the US and secondly the US had pursued the acquisition of Cuba for the better part of the nineteenth century. These immigrants have influenced US-Cuban relations until today and their votes and lobbying are a major factor explaining the motivation of the hostile attitude the US had regarding Cuban independence.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the scope of U.S. interventions in Latin America, establishing the focus on military and covert actions guided by the historical framework of the Monroe Doctrine.
Intervention in Cuba: Analyzes the late nineteenth-century intervention in Cuba, highlighting how economic interests, racial attitudes, and the belief in the inability of local populations to govern themselves shaped U.S. policy.
Intervention in Guatemala: Explores the 1954 CIA-sponsored coup against President Arbenz, suggesting that corporate interests—specifically the United Fruit Company—played a more significant role than the stated fear of communism.
Intervention in Chile: Investigates U.S. efforts to destabilize the government of Salvador Allende, focusing on political motives and the implementation of 'covert actions' to prevent the establishment of a Marxist state.
The attempted intervention in Cuba: Discusses the Bay of Pigs invasion and the long-standing embargo, emphasizing the personal nature of the conflict with Castro and the typical U.S. approach of triggering civil conflict without a long-term plan.
Conclusions: Synthesizes the findings to argue that U.S. interventions are primarily driven by the maintenance of economic and political dominance, utilizing the 'easy' influence over regional neighbors to protect its supremacy.
Keywords
U.S. Foreign Policy, Latin America, Interventionism, Monroe Doctrine, Cold War, Communism, Dollar Diplomacy, Covert Action, Cuba, Guatemala, Chile, Imperialism, Hegemony, Political Interest, Economic Interest
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research paper?
The paper evaluates the motivations behind U.S. interventions in Latin America throughout the twentieth century, questioning whether these actions were driven by a single consistent strategy or varied factors.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The core themes include the historical influence of the Monroe Doctrine, the role of corporate lobbying (dollar diplomacy), the impact of Cold War containment policies, and the ideological justifications for intervention.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to analyze whether a common motivation—such as the protection of economic and political interests—remained constant in U.S. foreign policy across different historical contexts in the region.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study utilizes a qualitative historical analysis, examining primary and secondary source materials, including government memoranda and academic historiography, to reconstruct the motivations behind specific interventionist events.
What does the main body of the text address?
The main body systematically analyzes case studies of U.S. intervention, specifically the early involvement in Cuba, the 1954 Guatemalan coup, the destabilization of Chile under Allende, and the ongoing conflict with post-revolutionary Cuba.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include U.S. Foreign Policy, Latin America, Interventionism, Monroe Doctrine, Cold War, Communism, Dollar Diplomacy, and Political Hegemony.
How did the Cold War change U.S. intervention patterns?
The Cold War shifted the U.S. focus from general regional guidance toward an aggressive, dogma-driven containment of communism, often resulting in support for right-wing military dictatorships to ensure stability.
What role did the United Fruit Company play in the Guatemala intervention?
The paper argues that the preservation of United Fruit Company land interests was a decisive, if not the primary, driver for the U.S.-backed coup, with charges of communism serving as a convenient justification.
Why does the author consider the Cuban embargo an economic intervention?
The embargo is classified as an economic intervention because it transcends mere trade restriction; it proactively punishes third-party nations that attempt to engage in commercial activities with Cuba.
- Quote paper
- Lars Weddige (Author), 2004, US intervention in South America, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/68775
