In the aftermath of the U.S. military strike that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, the trump governance has emphasized its desire for unfettered access to Venezuela’s oil more than conventional foreign policy objectives, such as combating drug trafficking or bolstering democracy adn regional stability.
during his first news conference after the operation,President Trump claimed oil companies would play an vital role and that the oil revenue would help fund any further intervention in Venezuela.
Soon after, ”Fox & friends” hosts asked Trump about this prediction.”We have the greatest oil companies in the world,” Trump replied, ”the biggest, the greatest, and we’re gonna be very much involved in it.”
As a historian of U.S.-Latin American relations, I’m not surprised that oil or any other commodity is playing a role in U.S. policy toward the region. What has taken me aback,though,is the Trump administration’s openness about how much oil is driving its policies toward Venezuela.As I’ve detailed recently, U.S. military intervention in Latin America has largely been covert. And when the U.S. orchestrated the coup that ousted Guatemala’s democratically elected president in 1954, the U.S. covered up the role that economic considerations played in that operation.By the early 1950s, Guatemala had become a top source for the bananas Americans consumed, as it remains today.
The United Fruit Company, based in Boston, owned more than 550,000 acres of Guatemalan land, largely thanks to its deals with previous dictatorships. These holdings required the intense labor of impoverished farmworkers who were often forced from their conventional lands. their pay was rarely stable, and they faced periodic layoffs and wage cuts.
The international corporation networked with dictators and local officials in Central America, many Caribbean islands and parts of South America to acquire immense estates for railroads and plantations.“`html
Guatemala’s Role in the Cold War and Caribbean Connections
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guatemala played a meaningful, and often covert, role in the Cold War, notably in relation to Caribbean nations, as detailed in recent scholarship examining the intersection of Guatemalan politics, U.S. foreign policy, and regional security initiatives. This involvement included supporting anti-communist movements and providing logistical support for operations aimed at countering perceived Soviet influence in the Caribbean.
“Caribbean Blood Pacts: Guatemala and the Cold War Struggle for Freedom” is authored by Erika B. Meade, Associate Professor of History at Cornell University. The book, and related articles like the one produced in collaboration with the Conversation,explore Guatemala’s involvement in Cold war-era operations in the Caribbean,focusing on the often-brutal consequences of these interventions.
U.S.Involvement and Operation PBSUCCESS
The United States played a central role in shaping Guatemalan politics during the Cold War,most notably through the 1954 coup d’état known as Operation PBSUCCESS.
Definition / Direct Answer: Operation PBSUCCESS was a covert operation orchestrated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán in Guatemala.
Detail: Árbenz’s government had implemented land reforms that threatened the interests of the United Fruit Company, a powerful U.S. corporation with significant holdings in Guatemala. The U.S. government, fearing communist influence in the region, supported a rebel force lead by Carlos Castillo armas.The operation involved propaganda, arming and training of rebels, and direct CIA involvement in planning and execution.
example or Evidence: Declassified CIA documents, released in the 1990s, confirmed the agency’s extensive involvement in Operation PBSUCCESS. CIA records on Operation PBSUCCESS detail the planning,funding,and execution of the coup,including the use of psychological warfare and the recruitment of guatemalan exiles. The coup led to decades of political instability and civil war in Guatemala.
Guatemala as a Launching Pad for Caribbean Operations
Definition / Direct Answer: Following the 1954 coup, Guatemala, under U.S. influence, became a key staging ground for covert operations aimed at countering leftist movements in the Caribbean.
Detail: The Guatemalan government, aligned with U.S. interests, allowed its territory to be used for training, equipping, and launching paramilitary groups destined for countries like Cuba and Nicaragua. This support was part of a broader U.S. strategy to prevent the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere. Guatemalan intelligence services,often in collaboration with the CIA,played a crucial role in these operations.
Example or Evidence: According to the National Security Archive, Guatemalan military intelligence, with U.S. support, actively participated in Operation Condor, a transnational campaign of political repression and state terror involving several South American dictatorships. while Operation Condor primarily targeted South American dissidents, Guatemalan involvement demonstrates the extent of its regional reach and the willingness of the Guatemalan government to engage in extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses.
The Impact on Guatemalan Society
Definition / direct Answer: Guatemala’s involvement in Cold War conflicts and its collaboration with the U.S. had a devastating impact on guatemalan society, contributing to decades of internal conflict and human rights abuses.
Detail: The 1954 coup ushered in a period of military rule and political repression. The Guatemalan army, backed by the U.S., engaged in a brutal counterinsurgency campaign against leftist guerrillas, resulting in widespread violence, disappearances, and massacres of civilian populations, particularly indigenous Maya communities.The pursuit of anti-communist objectives frequently enough overshadowed concerns for human rights and democratic principles.
Example or Evidence: The guatemalan Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH), established as part of the 1996 peace accords,