US Interventions in World Politics
Since the end of World War II, the US has repeatedly intervened in the political life of countries across the globe. Up until now, about 50 cases of Washington's direct interference in foreign countries' elections have been recorded. The US uses different tactics: coups, political assassinations, funding of the opposition, blackmail, bribery
and, last but not least, propaganda.
Sputnik collected the most outspoken facts about US interventions in politics and the electoral processes abroad.
and, last but not least, propaganda.
Sputnik collected the most outspoken facts about US interventions in politics and the electoral processes abroad.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Department, the State Department, often with the support and mediation of the American financial and industrial groups, were the main tools of US interventionist policies.
Italy 1948
Parliamentary elections
Goal
To prevent the victory of a leftist coalition led by the Communist Party of Italy.
Means
Financial aid to cover the opposition's election campaign expenses, blackmailing Italy.
Result
The defeat of the Italian Communist Party during the 1948 election, as well as during the seven subsequent elections.
The Philippines 1953
Presidential election
Goal
To install a pro-American government.
Means
The CIA provided support to Ramon Magsaysay's campaign.
Result
The elected president supported the US and adopted an anti-communist stance.
Iran 1953
Operation Ajax
Goal
To overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and secure control of Iran's oil reserves.
Means
Using bribed MPs, military officials, publishers and journalists to lash out against the 'corrupt prime minister and his government,' the US undermined Mosaddegh's authority, orchestrating mass anti-government protests, many of which turned bloody.
Result
The democratically elected government of the National Front of Iran was overthrown; after returning from his temporary exile, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became a staunch ally of the US up until his ouster in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution.
By the beginning of the coup, over 80 percent of Iranian newspapers and magazines were under CIA control.
Iranian oil nationalization in 1951 dealt a serious blow to US and British interests. By 1953, the two countries' intelligence agencies developed a coup d'état plan that became known as Operation Ajax and was overseen by Kermit Roosevelt Jr. The masterminds behind the coup employed a full spectrum of non-violent techniques, while the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia became a staging ground for the information warfare that was waged against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. Iranian journalists, large media publishers and even MPs were bribed.
Guatemala 1954
Coup
Goal
To overthrow the government of President Jacobo Arbenz.
Means
Mercenaries, bombardments, 'fake news.' The CIA helped train 480 mercenaries who invaded the country, and provided psychological warfare support for the invasion via aerial bombardments of the Guatemalan capital. They also broadcasted fake news reports via radio.
Result
Aided by fear of a full-scale US invasion, the operation was a success, ushering in the beginning of a US-backed dictatorship that lasted until 1996.
Lebanon 1957
Parliamentary elections
Goal
To prevent pro-Baathist Lebanese from subjecting the country to 'international communist influence.'
Means
US government and oil companies bankrolled the National Liberal Party of Lebanon during the 1957 election campaign.
Result
The subsequent political crises prompted the US to deploy its military to Lebanon in 1958 as part of Operation Blue Bat. This marked the first US use of the Eisenhower Doctrine, which used the fight against global communism as a pretext for bolstering foreign regimes, in this case that of Lebanon's Christian President Camille Chamoun. The ensuing polarization of Lebanese society eventually culminated in a civil war which lasted between 1975 and 1990.
Japan 1958
Parliamentary elections
Goal
To prevent the creation of a socialist majority in the parliament.
Means
The CIA procured damaging information on Japanese socialists while the US provided clandestine financial support to the Liberal Democratic Party.
Result
Japanese socialists failed to secure the majority of seats in the National Diet; the Liberal Democratic Party remained in control of Japan from 1955 until 1994.
Cuba 1961
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Goal
To overthrow the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro.
Means
A military operation conducted by Cuban dissidents, organized and supported by the US.
Result
Castro's forces squarely defeated the US-backed troops, prompting US conservatives to blame the Kennedy White House for not committing the US military to the endeavor.
About 1,500 militants with air support invaded Cuba.
Following the Cuban Revolution of 1959, US President Dwight Eisenhower imposed sanctions against the country and tasked the CIA with getting rid of Fidel Castro. Along with orchestrating numerous assassination attempts, in 1960 the spy agency came up with a planned military invasion of Cuba.
The original plan was to train and arm a guerilla unit comprised of Cuban dissidents. The CIA's role was to coordinate the actions of various armed groups with the opposition within the country. The invasion was expected to spark an uprising in Cuba and trigger a mass desertion from the Cuban army. The first wave of the invasion was supposed to be supported by military aircraft painted in Cuban colors and flown by 'Cuban rebels.'
The original plan was to train and arm a guerilla unit comprised of Cuban dissidents. The CIA's role was to coordinate the actions of various armed groups with the opposition within the country. The invasion was expected to spark an uprising in Cuba and trigger a mass desertion from the Cuban army. The first wave of the invasion was supposed to be supported by military aircraft painted in Cuban colors and flown by 'Cuban rebels.'
Cuban forces lost 157 dead, with 115 invaders killed. The rest of the 1,189 invading militants were taken prisoner.
Brazil 1964
Military coup
Goal
To maintain US control over South America and possibly prevent Brazil from forming ties with the Soviet Union.
Means
The ouster of Brazilian President Joao Goulart and the creation of a military dictatorship.
Result
Following the coup, Brazil became firmly locked within the US sphere of influence, further reinforcing the concept of Latin America as a US 'backyard'; the Brazilian military dictatorship censored all media and tortured and banished dissidents.
Dominican Republic 1965
Goal
To prevent a 'second Cuba' from appearing near the US and to use the internal conflict within the republic to further US interests.
Means
During the peak of the Dominican Civil War US President Lyndon Johnson, fearing that the leftist revolutionaries may seize power in the country, launched a military intervention.
Result
After the end of the conflict an autocrat president took control of the republic.
Greece 1967
Parliamentary elections
Goal
To prevent the victory of centrists and Georgios Papandreou.
Means
Support of a military coup and CIA involvement in torture and political assassinations.
Result
A military junta, known also as the Regime of the Colonels and led by Georgios Papadopulos, seized power in the country and launched a campaign of terror against its opponents, with about 8,000 people executed during the first month alone.
Chile 1973
Military coup and the preceding media campaign
Goal
To overthrow the Popular Unity government led by Salvador Allende and to return Chile to the US' sphere of influence.
Means
Economic and information warfare.
Result
Ouster of the Popular Unity government; President Allende committed suicide.
Grenada 1983
Military invasion
Goal
To overthrow the local communist government.
Means
Military invasion ordered by US President Ronald Reagan who feared the growing rapprochement between Grenada and Cuba and USSR.
Result
Grenada abandoned communist ideology and established close cooperation with the US.
Afghanistan 1979-1989
War
Goal
To increase the US military presence in areas of strategic interest to the US and to oppose the USSR.
Means
Providing financial and military aid to the mujahidin and other Afghan militant groups.
Result
An armed conflict between the USSR-backed government forces and a large number of NATO-backed armed mujahidin groups.
Panama 1989
Invasion
Goal
To ouster Manuel Noriega and to ensure the flow of maritime traffic through the Panama Canal.
Means
Military invasion.
Result
Noriega's ouster.
The US deployed 26,000 soldiers to Panama. Panama's self-defense forces numbered barely 12,000 troops.
General Manuel Noriega was a long-time head of the Panamanian military intelligence, and in 1983 he was appointed as commander of the country's National Guard. All that time Noriega maintained close ties with the CIA and carried out important tasks for the US government, according to former CIA Director William Casey. Despite not being the official head of state, Noriega was the de facto ruler of Panama.
General Noriega was actively cooperating with the CIA for many years.
However, as Noriega's relations with the US took a turn for the worse, in 1984 a coup attempt took place in Panama, which the general managed to suppress. Alarmed by the fact that their former agent had gone rogue, the US established a full economic blockade of Panama and started negotiating Noriega's ouster.
The political crisis worsened and in 1989, following a US-backed coup attempt.
General Noriega was actively cooperating with the CIA for many years.
However, as Noriega's relations with the US took a turn for the worse, in 1984 a coup attempt took place in Panama, which the general managed to suppress. Alarmed by the fact that their former agent had gone rogue, the US established a full economic blockade of Panama and started negotiating Noriega's ouster.
The political crisis worsened and in 1989, following a US-backed coup attempt.
On December 20, US President George H.W. Bush ordered a military invasion of Panama under the following pretext:
• to protect the US citizens in Panama;
• "to uphold democracy and human rights";
• to detain Noriega on charges of drug trafficking;
• to enforce the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
• "to uphold democracy and human rights";
• to detain Noriega on charges of drug trafficking;
• to enforce the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.
Nicaragua 1990
Parliamentary elections
Goal
To promote the US-backed candidate (Violeta Chamorro).
Means
Financing terrorism, waging information warfare, providing CIA support to Contras who helped destabilize Nicaragua. Prior to the election the CIA leaked information that German newspapers were allegedly bribed by Sandinistas; this information was used against the Sandinista candidate Daniel Ortega.
Result
Daniel Ortega lost the election.
Czechoslovakia 1990
Presidential election
Goal
Election of the first non-communist president in 40 years.
Means
The US funded the campaign of Vaclav Havel.
Result
Havel's victory and the subsequent breakup of Czechoslovakia.
Russia 1996
Presidential election
Goal
Attempt to influence the campaign and to support Boris Yeltsin.
Means
US President Bill Clinton approved a $10.2 billion loan to Russia to support the privatization process, trade liberalization and other projects.
Result
Yeltsin managed to defeat his rival, communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov, and get reelected. The US loan was, among other things, used to fund Yeltsin's election campaign to boost his sagging approval rating.
Yugoslavia 2000
Presidential election
Goal
To ouster Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Means
Economic sanctions imposed in 1992, NATO military aggression in 1999, financial support of independent media and non-government organizations.
Result
Slobodan Milosevic lost the election and was ousted amid mass protests staged by the opposition. Yugoslavia broke up in 2003. In 2008 Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed its independence.
Iraq 2003
Invasion
Goal
To spread democracy and deal a blow to the support of international terrorism by ousting President Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party government; to destroy Iraq's chemical and biological weapon stockpiles.
Means
Military invasion of a US-led coalition (including the UK) and the subsequent military occupation of the country with US-controlled government installed.
Result
The Iraqi government was ousted while President Saddam Hussein was arrested and executed. Rapid deterioration of Iraqi government and social agencies paved the way for ethnic and sectarian violence while the right to explore the nation's vast oil reserves was divided among companies handpicked by the US government. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions were displaced in the process. No weapons of mass destruction and no evidence implicating Saddam Hussein in supporting international terrorists and being responsible for the 9/11 attacks were ever found.
Georgia 2003
Elections
Goal
To establish control in the region and over Georgia's Black Sea coast; to weaken the country's economic and political ties with Russia.
Means
Financing a 'velvet revolution,' providing financial aid to opposition movements, political parties and public anti-government campaigns.
Result
The Rose Revolution resulted in the US-backed government of Mikheil Saakashvili taking power; in 2008 that very government launched the ill-fated invasion of South Ossetia.
About $300,000 was spent on this goal.
In July 2003, former US Secretary of State James Baker visited Georgia. During his visit the veteran US diplomat held meetings with leaders of the Georgian political opposition and later with President Eduard Shevarnadze himself. Both sides were presented with several conditions for the upcoming election, including the following: the election committee was to be comprised of 5 opposition representatives, 4 government representatives and 1 member of the civil society selected by the OSCE, and the head of the election committee was also to be appointed by the OSCE.
Ukraine 2004; 2013
Presidential election; protests and coup
Goal
To spread US influence across countries that border Russia; to establish control over the Black Sea and to bolster NATO's military presence on Russia's borders.
Means
Financing of the opposition parties' and candidates' election campaigns.
Result
Euromaidan, the ouster of President Victor Yanukovych, a protracted armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and economic crisis.
Libya 2011
Military interventio
Goal
To oust Muammar Gaddafi.
Means
Weapon shipments to various militant groups fighting against the Libyan government and a subsequent military intervention launched by NATO under the pretext of enforcing a UNSC resolution that called for no-fly zone to be imposed in Libya.
Result
Muammar Gaddafi was killed along with tens of thousands of civilians. Libya has de facto ceased to exist as a unified state, and Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) forces along with other radical Islamist groups managed to seize control of many Libyan cities. The country lost much of its oil revenue after much of the hydrocarbon deposits were seized by Daesh and other militant groups.
Syria 2011-2017
Conflict
Goal
To oust the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Means
The US provides financial support to opposition groups, seeking to overthrow the government, block foreign investments to the country and sabotage economic reforms in Syria. Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the US government has demanded that Bashar al-Assad resign. The US also imposed an oil embargo against Syria, and since 2013 has also helped arm and train Syrian Islamist militants in Jordan.
Result
Syria is being torn apart by armed conflict, becoming a hotbed for various terrorist groups like Daesh and Nusra Front. Millions of Syrians were displaced and many of them even had to flee to other countries. Nearly 500,000 people have been killed during the fighting and terrorist attacks.
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