That Chavez is a kook.
A U.S.-backed overthrow of his government is exceedingly unlikely.
There just isn't any precedent.
Except for these:
Location |
Period |
Type of Force |
Comments on U.S.
Role |
Argentina |
1890 |
Troops |
Buenos Aires interests
protected |
Chile |
1891 |
Troops |
Marines clash with
nationalist rebels |
Haiti |
1891 |
Troops |
Black workers revolt
on U.S.-claimed
Navassa Island
defeated |
Nicaragua |
1894 |
Troops |
Month-long
occupation of
Bluefields |
Panama |
1895 |
Naval, troops |
Marines land in
Colombian province |
Nicaragua |
1896 |
Troops |
Marines land in port
of Corinto |
Cuba |
1898- |
Naval, troops |
Seized from Spain,
U.S. still holds Navy
base at Guantanamo |
Puerto Rico |
1898- |
Naval, troops |
Seized from Spain,
occupation continues |
Nicaragua |
1898 |
Troops |
Marines land at port
of San Juan del Sur |
Nicaragua |
1899 |
Troops |
Marines land at port
of Bluefields |
Honduras |
1903 |
Troops |
Marines intervene in
revolution |
Dominican Republic |
1903-04 |
Troops |
U.S. interests
protected in
Revolution |
Cuba |
1906-09 |
Troops |
Marines land in
democratic election |
Nicaragua |
1907 |
Troops |
"Dollar Diplomacy"
protectorate set up |
Honduras |
1907 |
Troops |
Marines land during
war with Nicaragua |
Panama |
1908 |
Troops |
Marines intervene in
election contest |
Nicaragua |
1910 |
Troops |
Marines land in
Bluefields and Corinto |
Honduras |
1911 |
Troops |
U.S. interests
protected in civil war |
Cuba |
1912 |
Troops |
U.S. interests
protected in Havana |
Panama |
1912 |
Troops |
Marines land during
heated election |
Honduras |
1912 |
Troops |
Marines protect U.S.
economic interests |
Nicaragua |
1912-33 |
Troops, bombing |
20-year occupation,
fought guerrillas |
Mexico |
1913 |
Naval |
Americans evacuated
during revolution |
Dominican Republic |
1914 |
Naval |
Fight with rebels over
Santo Domingo |
Mexico |
1914-18 |
Naval, troops |
Series of interventions
against nationalists |
Haiti |
1914-34 |
Troops, bombing |
19-year occupation
after revolts |
Dominican Republic |
1916-24 |
Troops |
8-year Marine
occupation |
Cuba |
1917-33 |
Troops |
Military occupation,
economic protectorate |
Panama |
1918-20 |
Troops |
"Police duty" during
unrest after elections |
Honduras |
1919 |
Troops |
Marines land during
election campaign |
Guatemala |
1920 |
Troops |
2-week intervention
against unionists |
Costa Rica |
1921 |
Troops |
|
Panama |
1921 |
Troops |
|
Honduras |
1924-25 |
Troops |
Landed twice during
election strife |
Panama |
1925 |
Troops |
Marines suppress
general strike |
El Salvador |
1932 |
Naval |
Warships sent during
Faribundo Marti
revolt |
Uruguay |
1947 |
Nuclear threat |
Bombers deployed as
show of strength |
Puerto Rico |
1950 |
Command operation |
Independence
rebellion crushed in
Ponce |
Guatemala |
1954-? |
Command operation,
bombing, nuclear
threat |
CIA directs exile
invasion and coup
d'Etat after newly
elected government
nationalizes unused
U.S.'s United Fruit
Company lands;
bombers based in
Nicaragua; long-term
result: 200,000
murdered |
Panama |
1958 |
Troops |
Flag protests erupt
into confrontation |
Cuba |
1961 |
Command operation |
CIA-directed exile
invasion fails |
Cuba |
1962 |
Nuclear threat, naval |
Blockade during
missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union |
Panama |
1964 |
Troops |
Panamanians shot for
urging canal's return |
Dominican Republic |
1965-66 |
Troops, bombing |
Marines land during
election campaign |
Guatemala |
1966-67 |
Command operation |
Green Berets
intervene against
rebels |
Chile |
1973 |
Command operation |
CIA-backed coup
ousts democratically
elected Marxist
president |
El Salvador |
1981-92 |
Command operation,
troops |
Advisors, overflights
aid anti-rebel war,
soldiers briefly
involved in hostage
clash; long-term
result: 75,000
murdered and
destruction of popular
movement |
Nicaragua |
1981-90 |
Command operation,
naval |
CIA directs exile
(Contra) invasions,
plants harbor mines
against revolution;
result: 50,000
murdered |
Honduras |
1982-90 |
Troops |
Maneuvers help build
bases near borders |
Grenada |
1983-84 |
Troops, bombing |
Invasion four years
after revolution |
Bolivia |
1987 |
Troops |
Army assists raids on
cocaine region |
Panama |
1989 |
Troops, bombing |
Nationalist
government ousted by
27,000 soldiers,
leaders arrested,
2000+ killed |
Haiti |
1994-95 |
Troops, naval |
Blockade against
military government;
troops restore
President Aristide to
office three years after
coup |
Venezuela |
2002 |
Command operation |
Failed coup attempt to remove left-populist president Hugo Chavez |
Haiti |
2004- |
Troops |
Removal of democratically elected President Aristide; troops occupy country |
Sources here.
My mistake.
It looks like U.S. intervention in Latin America, military or otherwise, covert or otherwise, is the exception rather than the rule.
I'm not anti-military or anti-interventionist, but can anyone really claim that our actions in Latin America have ever done a whit of good?
Functioning Latin American democracies are few. Poverty is great. Wealth divides are huge. Stability is rare. No, Central and South America are not Africa and there are some bright spots, but these are two continents in crisis.
I haven't always liked Chavez, but look:
He is the democratically-elected leader of Venezuela. He has the support of his people. As he points out in the Koppel interview, he not only manages a country, but an incredibly important source of energy for the globe. He also, indirectly, runs such enterprises as CITGO, the $10 billion dollar petroleum concern that operates everything from corner gas stations to huge oil refineries.
And he's done it -- imperfectly, yes -- with the interests of the many in mind, rather than the few.
Is Venezuela under Chavez some sort of paradise?
Nah.
But Venezuela and its territory and its resources belong to the Venezuelan people, not to us.
We can talk about the Monroe Doctrine all we want, but history shows that almost every U.S. intervention in Latin America has been a failure. What makes the Bush Administration think that another one would be any different?
The Bush Administration likes to pride itself on applying business sense to government. I think that the Bush Administration should make peace with Chavez and settle down and do business with him, rather than undermine, otherthrow or attack.
The idea that we would militarily threaten a country in our hemisphere over oil does not surprise me, but I wish Bush, Cheney and Co. would take a history lesson before the try something that rash.
You'd think with Negroponte, Abrams and that whole Iran-Contra crew back in power, someone would remember what these failures looked like.