The Trump administration's intervention in Venezuela marks a return to form for the US, one that has been brewing for decades. The notion of "naked imperialism", coined by historian Alan McPherson, aptly describes the era of unbridled military force and economic coercion employed by the United States in its dealings with Latin American nations.
The US has a long history of intervening in its continental neighbors, often through covert actions that topple democratically elected governments, ushering in military dictatorships. Examples include Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, where the CIA and FBI advised repressive regimes to silence dissidents under Operation Condor. In Mexico, the annexation of Texas led to a US invasion in 1847, resulting in the signing of a treaty that ceded 55% of Mexican territory.
In Cuba, the US supported the overthrow of the government in 1898 and occupied the island until 1902, with Guantánamo Bay remaining under US control. The CIA's involvement in Haitian affairs began after the US invaded the country in 1915, taking control of customs and finances until 1934.
The most notable instance of US intervention was the coup in Brazil in 1964, where the US supported a military government that ruled for over two decades. Panama also saw US-backed separatism lead to independence from Colombia in 1903, with Washington retaining significant influence until the 1989 invasion that ousted dictator Noriega.
Today, Venezuela is facing an unprecedented crisis, and Trump's comments on "American dominance" in the region are a stark reminder of the US's long history of intervening in South America. The capture of Nicolás Maduro and the bombing campaign raise questions about the future of Venezuelan democracy and the intentions of the Trump administration.
As McPherson noted, it is rare for US interventions to be followed by "peace, tranquillity, stability, and democracy". Instead, they often create long-term problems of succession. The current situation in Venezuela is likely to be no exception, with the fate of the country hanging precariously in the balance.
The US has a long history of intervening in its continental neighbors, often through covert actions that topple democratically elected governments, ushering in military dictatorships. Examples include Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, where the CIA and FBI advised repressive regimes to silence dissidents under Operation Condor. In Mexico, the annexation of Texas led to a US invasion in 1847, resulting in the signing of a treaty that ceded 55% of Mexican territory.
In Cuba, the US supported the overthrow of the government in 1898 and occupied the island until 1902, with Guantánamo Bay remaining under US control. The CIA's involvement in Haitian affairs began after the US invaded the country in 1915, taking control of customs and finances until 1934.
The most notable instance of US intervention was the coup in Brazil in 1964, where the US supported a military government that ruled for over two decades. Panama also saw US-backed separatism lead to independence from Colombia in 1903, with Washington retaining significant influence until the 1989 invasion that ousted dictator Noriega.
Today, Venezuela is facing an unprecedented crisis, and Trump's comments on "American dominance" in the region are a stark reminder of the US's long history of intervening in South America. The capture of Nicolás Maduro and the bombing campaign raise questions about the future of Venezuelan democracy and the intentions of the Trump administration.
As McPherson noted, it is rare for US interventions to be followed by "peace, tranquillity, stability, and democracy". Instead, they often create long-term problems of succession. The current situation in Venezuela is likely to be no exception, with the fate of the country hanging precariously in the balance.
I'm getting really worried about what's happening in Venezuela right now... it's like they're stuck in a history loop 
where US interventions always seem to lead to more problems. I mean, think about all those examples - Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Cuba... each time the US gets involved, it's like they're trying to impose their own brand of order on these countries. But what really works? 
I've seen friends' relatives struggle with the effects of these interventions, and it's just heartbreaking. Can't we learn from the past instead of repeating the same mistakes over and over? 
and operation condor was basically a global torture programme... CIA/FBI were complicit in silencing dissidents and it's still affecting lives today. 
also, didn't the US support coups in cuba, brazil, panama and haiti too? It's like they just keep backing authoritarian regimes no matter what 
the question is, what do trump's words really mean? Is he trying to justify more military action or what? 
sources pls 
. They've been dropping in like vultures when they think a government is "unstable" and installing their own puppets instead. It's not surprising that it always ends in chaos, considering how they set up these regimes to be dependent on the US. I mean, come on, 55% of Mexican territory? That's just crazy talk 
. And what about all the lives lost and opportunities squandered because of this "naked imperialism"? We need to learn from history instead of repeating it 
.
, remember when mexico ceded 55% of its territory to the us? that's wild 
. i'm not saying trumps right or wrong, but it's clear the US has a long history of intervening in south america for its own gain 
. it's gonna be super interesting to see how this all plays out in venezuela, especially with maduro being caught and all that 
, you know? Like, US intervention always seems to backfire 
. I mean, look at how Haiti and Cuba ended up after those US invasions... not great 
. And now Venezuela's on the brink of chaos 
. Trump's all about "American dominance" but I think he's forgetting that his country's got a pretty messy past when it comes to Latin America 
. It's like, how can you expect anyone in the region to trust you after centuries of US meddling? 
The CIA's involved again... what's new 
? Anyway, I hope Venezuela can find its way out of this mess on its own two feet 
. I mean, it's like we're taking a step back in time and embracing our darker impulses 
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. It's like we've learned nothing from our past mistakes 
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.
And what's with "American dominance" again? Doesn't that sound like just a fancy way of saying "we're gonna do whatever we want"? 
back in 1847, the US has been all about expansionism. And now, with Venezuela in crisis, you can just imagine the whole "American dominance" thing being used as a smokescreen to justify some kinda regime change. 
. Trump's sudden interest in Venezuela, after years of ignoring it, is not a coincidence. I think there's more to this story than meets the eye. Have you noticed how quickly Maduro was "captured" and the US has already started bombing? It reeks of regime change 
. What if this is just another example of US imperialism in disguise? We've seen it time and time again, with countries like Chile and Argentina being manipulated into military dictatorships under Operation Condor 
. I'm not saying Maduro's regime isn't corrupt, but I think we should be careful about jumping to conclusions here 
- the US has been trying to exert its influence there for over a century, and it's had some pretty disastrous consequences 
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. We can't keep relying on military force and economic coercion to get what we want 
. It never ends well for the country that gets "involved". I'm not saying I don't want democracy or stability in Venezuela (obvs 
. Let's keep an eye on this situation and hope for the best! 
like, remember when Clinton was prez and he was all about multilateralism? didn't think we were back to that dark ages yet 
so yeah trump is just trying to revive some old school US foreign policy... newsflash, it never really worked out well for the rest of us 
come on, can we just focus on making our own problems go away instead of trying to fix everyone else's? 
. I mean, think about it - they've got a history of backing dictators and destabilizing entire countries to suit their own interests 
US has been messing with latin america for ages and it never ends well 
venezuela is already in a mess and now this intervention could make things even worse