Ansarollah Website.Report

Washington has no regard for international law or national sovereignty, nor for the so-called United Nations or its Security Council, when it comes to Washington's illegitimate interests, even when American transgressions reach the level of arresting heads of state and throwing them into prison cells. This was the scene in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in the early hours of January 3rd, when the United States arrested President Nicolás Maduro, in a dangerous precedent that undermines all international laws, treaties, and agreements, and establishes a new era governed by the law of the jungle and excessive force. The game is now played openly, far from the rhetoric of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the right of peoples to self-determination, which the Americans have long promoted while crushing nations and toppling governments.

The blatant US interventions throughout history in Latin America are not merely circumstantial reactions, but rather part of a consistent approach in US foreign policy. This approach is based on a logic of hegemony and the pretense of protecting economic and geopolitical interests, even at the expense of the will of the people and their right to self-determination. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Washington has treated the countries of the continent as a vital sphere of influence, relying on various pretexts such as "combating communism" and "protecting national security." The tools employed have ranged from arbitrary arrests and military coups to direct and proxy wars, economic pressure, and covert intelligence operations. This report aims to show the most prominent examples of regime change in Latin America, whether through direct military interventions or indirect methods, and to analyze their far-reaching political and humanitarian consequences for the region's stability and its democratic trajectory.

Guatemala 1954: Overthrowing a Reformist Government by Force

After winning democratic elections in 1950, Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz embarked on a series of political and economic reforms, most notably land reform, which Washington considered a direct threat to the interests of American companies. In August 1953, the US Operations Coordination Council tasked the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with overthrowing Árbenz's government, justifying this with claims of a threat to "solidarity in the Western Hemisphere" and "US national security in the Caribbean."

The United States launched a comprehensive campaign that included paramilitary operations, training and arming rebel groups, exerting diplomatic and economic pressure, waging extensive psychological warfare, and encouraging defections among military and political leaders. After Arbenz was overthrown in 1954, a military dictatorship led by Carlos Castillo Armas took power, and the country subsequently slid into a 36-year civil war that claimed the lives or disappearances of some 200,000 people, amid gross and systematic human rights violations.

Nicaragua (1981–1990): A Proxy War to Overthrow an Elected Government

In April 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan halted economic aid to Nicaragua, accusing the Sandinista government of supporting "rebels" in El Salvador and deeming it a direct threat to Central American security and U.S. interests.

According to U.S. State Department documents, the Reagan administration provided extensive support to the Contras, armed groups based in Honduras that launched continuous attacks against the democratically elected government. This support included training, weapons, and funding. In 1983, Congress approved $100 million for the Contras, which was used for widespread sabotage, including mining ports and destroying oil installations.

Despite the exposure of these practices, Congress continued to approve additional aid, amounting to $27 million in 1985 and $100 million in 1986, 70% of which was allocated to military support. The conflict continued for nearly a decade, leaving tens of thousands of victims and a severe economic collapse. In 1990, elections were held under international supervision, resulting in the victory of Violeta Chamorro, ending Sandinista rule.

Panama 1989: The Direct Military Invasion

"Just Cause" was the name given to an aggressive US military operation launched by President George H.W. Bush in 1989. More than 26,000 US troops participated in the operation, which aimed to overthrow Panamanian President Manuel Noriega, a long-time ally of Washington. Relations had deteriorated due to allegations of corruption and drug trafficking, as well as disagreements over the security of the Panama Canal, which Washington had long sought to control.

During the operation, US forces captured Noriega and transported him to the United States, where he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. A pro-Washington government then took power in Panama, ensuring the protection of US interests and effective control of the canal.

The operation's name and the pretexts used by the US to justify its invasion of Panama reveal the brazenness and audacity of the US in fabricating facts and concocting excuses to violate the sovereignty of nations, destroy lives within them, and inflict suffering on their people.

Haiti 2004: An Internationally Coordinated Coup

The complicity of the United Nations with the United States is not a recent phenomenon but has been a constant throughout history. In February 2004, the United States, in cooperation with France and Canada, supported a coup that overthrew the democratically elected Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, forcing him and his family to flee the country without receiving a single word of support or a clear stance from the Security Council. According to reports by Global Policy, the George W. Bush administration began working to weaken Aristide's rule as early as 2001 by freezing humanitarian and financial aid and contributing to the destabilization of the Haitian economy. Subsequent reports revealed that US funding programs supported opposition groups, including the International Republican Institute, which helped organize protests against the president. Aristide later confirmed that he was ousted in a staged coup, stating that the US ambassador to Haiti deceived him under the pretext of protecting him from an imminent coup before forcibly transporting him on a US plane to the Central African Republic.

Indirect US Interventions

In addition to direct military interventions, the United States pursued undeclared or indirect policies that effectively contributed to the downfall of numerous governments in Latin America.

Assassination of the Dominican President, 1961

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo assumed power in the Dominican Republic in 1930. He was known for his dictatorship and severe repression, but he enjoyed long-standing US support due to his anti-communism. As internal unrest escalated, Washington saw his continued rule as a political liability and a threat to its interests. In 1960, US President Eisenhower authorized covert support for the opposition. In 1961, the CIA supplied weapons and ammunition to anti-Trujillo elements and contributed to his assassination. Despite official denials, multiple reports confirmed the agency's involvement in the operation. The assassination was followed by prolonged political instability and a succession of interim governments—a scenario Washington has consistently sought to replicate against all its adversaries.

Brazil 1964: A Logistically Supported Coup

The United States allied with Brazilian Army Chief of Staff Humberto Castelo Branco to carry out a coup that overthrew President João Goulart. Washington provided financial support to opposition demonstrations, as well as fuel and weapons to the military.

According to the Library of Congress, Washington launched The Poisnous Brother Operation to provide full logistical support, aiming to establish a loyal regime and prevent the spread of leftist influence. The coup resulted in a military rule that lasted for more than two decades, marked by widespread repression and gross human rights violations.

Argentina 1976: Support for a Bloody Coup

The United States supported a military coup led by General Jorge Videla that overthrew the elected President Isabel Perón. Documents released in 2021 revealed coordination and communication between the coup leaders and US officials, indicating Washington's prior knowledge of the nature of the impending military regime. During Videla's rule (1976–1983), Argentina experienced one of its bloodiest periods, with between 15,000 and 30,000 people killed or disappeared, and thousands more subjected to arrest, torture, and enforced disappearance.

Chile 1973: The Overthrow of Allende

The United States used covert funds to influence the 1970 Chilean elections to prevent Salvador Allende's victory, but failed. After he took office and implemented socialist policies and nationalized major companies, Washington considered his government as a direct threat to its interests and secretly supported a coup led by General Augusto Pinochet in 1973, a fact confirmed by the US Senate investigations in 1975.

Following Allende's assassination, Pinochet established a repressive regime that abolished the constitution, dissolved parliament, and banned political parties, resulting in over 40,000 victims, including those killed, arrested, and forcibly disappeared.

In conclusion

the historical record of US interventions in Latin America reveals a recurring pattern of undermining democracy and reproducing subservient regimes, often ruled by force and repression, leaving behind a heavy legacy of civil wars, gross human rights violations, and chronic instability. Policies aimed at overthrowing elected governments have cancelled the concepts of sovereignty and independence of their practical meaning, tying the fate of nations to external choices that do not reflect the aspirations of their people. Despite the differences in context and time, the common denominator among these interventions has remained the same: prioritizing US interests over the rights of other nations. Therefore, recalling these experiences is not merely a matter of historical documentation; it also acquires political and intellectual significance, serving as a constant warning against the cost of foreign intervention when it becomes a tool for forcibly reshaping nations instead of respecting the will of their people and their national trajectories.

Throughout the 20th century, the United States pursued an active policy of overthrowing democratically elected governments in Latin America, employing its military might, intelligence apparatus, and local networks, organizations, and affiliated individuals. These interventions targeted regimes that had largely come to power through elections but had adopted policies that Washington perceived as a direct threat to its economic interests or geopolitical influence.