U.S. Intervention in Latin America

U.S. Intervention in Latin America and Vietnam

American foreign policy, which is one of the most successful diplomatic activities in the world, had often failed under the influence of external factors that seemed to question American interests in some parts of the world.

It's not a secret that the U.S. As well as other developed countries have their specific interests in the countries of the third world, which are often the raw material suppliers and agricultural exporters to the countries of the first world with developed industries.

There is no wonder that the influence of the U.S.A. In the western hemisphere is dominant as its interests penetrate in region's agriculture, oil and mining industries. This dominance was achieved through the Monroe's doctrine that declared more than 150 years ago that European countries have no right to introduce their interests in both Americas and penetrate to the affairs of American continent. The investments of American companies to the mining industry and agriculture of Latin America had a lot of advantages. It guarantees economical stability in the region, it protects the rights of American companies and gives them support from local government, and on the other hand the U.S.A. supports order and democracy in these countries. By the definition of William Taft, "dollar democracy" was established to promote peaceful relations in the region through economical collaboration, but in reality "dollar diplomacy" had shown not once that the U.S. financial interests are higher than values of democracy and liberty.

After the WW2 that resulted the spread of communist fear in both hemispheres, the influence of the U.S.A. was losing its positions especially after Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and after the victory of communists in Northern Vietnam. It threatened not just American financial interests but political and strategic interests as well. The years of Cold war and mutual antipathy of Soviet Union and the U.S.A. gave a lot of premises for the appearance of local conflicts in different parts of the world that were used as battle fields of two superpowers. And the years of the Cold war had showed that "dollar diplomacy" has a lot of weak points. As it was created to defend financial interests of American monopolies in the countries of the third world making the local governments dependent financially, it didn't take into consideration the moods and interests of common people who lived in poverty and who had an influence of different radical nationalistic and utopian ideas that often resulted into overthrowing of unpopular governments. Such events of cause questioned the presence of American capital in Latin America, as nationalist radical revolutionaries had an aim of expropriation of all objects that were the property of foreign companies and nationalization of them. If before the WW2 these attempts often failed, because of no real support, then after the WW2 these opposition movements in the countries of Latin America got real support from the Soviets, both financial and military. It threatened the interests of the U.S.A. And was a motivation for military intervention into the affairs of those countries, which were often pointless and unsuccessful.

The first case that showed the need of protection of American interests on foreign territories and especially in Latin America was the conflict with Paraguay in 1857, when the U.S. steamer Water Witch was attacked by Paraguyan forts and when American citizens who livd on the territory of this country were oppressed. It showed that the U.S. foreign policy had to defend the interets of its citizens and it formed a precedent for intervention into affars of the countries who question the security of American citizens and American interests on their territories.

Defending their military and strategic interests in southeastern Asia (a strategic region as it was the presence of communist regions of China and North Vietnam, who were supported by Soviets), president Johnson declared the war to the North Vietnam in order to protect peace in Southeastern Asia and South Vietnam in particularly. The accident in the Tonkin Gulf when North Vietnamese forces attacked the U.S. vessels and caused two airplanes to crash was a good reason to start the conflict, as the troops of North Vietnam violated the Geneva Convention and attacked a foreign navy in the neutral international waters. The United States has to react on this accident, as it was the mater of international respect, but at the same time the presidents administration had to estimate the future consequences of the military strike back. It was not secret that a lot of Soviet weapon was concentrated in North Vietnam, and Viet Kong army was ready to start the war for the unification of the country as it was guaranteed to have a support from Soviets.

Invention in Grenada was caused by the Cuban influence on Grenada's government in early 1980 iers. Grenada changed its political orientation and turned to the U.S.S.R. And Cuba as it considered them to be its partners. As the result it started to build its military defense system getting support from Cuba and Soviets. It was considered to be a threat to the security in the region that was guaranteed by the U.S.A. And the Organization of Eastern Caribbean states. As a result the U.S.A. started intervention of Island. More than eight thousand U.S. soldiers took part in the campaign, 19 died and 119 were wounded. Grenadeans lost 70 soldiers dead and 417 wounded. The cost of the campaign was 6 million dollars. As a result the government was changed to a more loyal one to the U.S.A. This case shows that sometimes the U.S.A. doesn't take the political and democratic freedoms of the definite countries where its interests are not met.