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Chronology of American International Politics and Corruption
Project Balikatan 0000-00-19
Eight days after September 11, 2001. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo maneuvered the Philippines into the slipstream of the Bush administration's global battle and said, 'Let's ride.' It was an act of geopolitical jujitsu familiar to Cold-war-watchers. First, take a conflict that is largely internal. The Moros, the Muslim inhabitants of the southern islands, have struggled for decades. They resent the economically and politically dominant Christian minority, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has a broad base of support from islanders who blame the central government in Manila.
Next, recast the conflict as the latest installment in a worldwide ideological battle. In the past, this meant communism. Now, of course, it is an international web of islamist terrorists. The Abu Sayyaf. a small splinter group of the Moro resistance, made this step easy for President Arroyo: they have repeatedly kidnapped Filipinos and Westerners - including Americans -and appear to have links to al Qaeda.
Third, welcome American troops or 'advisors' into your country and watch the money pour in. In February 2002, the US and Filipino armed services launched a partnership called 'Balikatan' - (the Philippines' constitution forbids unilateral military intervention by any foreign force.) Even before the soldiers arrived the Philippines secured $100 million in military assistance, and millions more in promises of aid and debt forgiveness.
After one meeting In Washington, Arroyo reportedly bragged to Filipino journalists that she'd won '$4.6 billion, and counting.'
Stage four: brace for public resentment. The Philippines, perhaps more than any other nation, should be sensitive to American imperialism. The us seized the country from the Spanish in 1898 and held it in thrall until WWII. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos were killed during the war and occupation, including an incident at Mt. Dajo in 1906 when US soldiers massacred 900 Moro men, women, and children. After independence in 1946 the Philippines hosted US bases, which served as staging areas and R&R playgrounds, but a grassroots campaign forced the government to send them packing in 1992.
Now they're back. The US force has remained small, and they're trying to charm locals with new roads and schools. For her part, Arroyo scratched Bush's back when she sent a 96-person military team to Iraq. What did Cold-war interventions teach us to look for? First, that national leaders propped up by American military, economic, and political support tend to slide toward despotism. And second, whether or not the country gets hooked on US aid, it will eventually need to solve its own problems and toss the Americans out.
Air America 1960-01-01
1957-1974
The ClA's Civil Air Transport ('Air America') began a prolonged offensive against Laos in 1957, with 16 helicopters stationed 40 miles south of Vientiane, Laos. The forces supplied the Hmong rebels in their battle against the Pathet Lao. This conflict gradually became entangled in America's Vietnam conflict. By 1965, US Green Berets and South Vietnamese troops were engaged in covert, cross-border operations into Laos, and US air sorties over the country numbered 10 to 20 per day. Still, this conflict was known as the Secret War. The last CAT flight over Laos was on June 3,1974, by which time 100 CAT personnel had died.
Ecuador 1960-02-01
After Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra was elected president of Ecuador, he refused American demands that he break relations with Cuba and crack down on communists. The US proceeded to infiltrate Ecuadorian political groups, both Left and Right, and create bogus organizations to agitate political disturbances. A ClA Officer established a group called the Ecuadorian Anti-Communist Front. Since that name was already taken by a legitimate group, however, he had to change the title to Ecuadorian Anti-Communist Action. The ClA also penetrated the postal service and the immigration department to collect intelligence. All this interference culminated with the overthrow of velasco, who was replaced by Carlos Julio Arosemana, a paid ClA employee. Arosemana proved to be as difficult as Velasco and was replaced with a military junta. It immediately outlawed communism, suspended civil liberties, cancelled the 1964 elections and used the ClA's Subversive Control watch List to round up leftists.
The Bay of Pigs 1961-04-17
President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to begin operations against Fidel Castro in Cuba. This included a campaign to destabilize Cuba by burning crops, blowing up ships and sabotaging industry. On April 17, 1961, around 1,400 anti-Castro Cubans landed at the Bay of Pigs, armed and transported by the CIA. The population failed to rise up, however, and promised US air support was held back. Within three days; most of the invaders had been either killed or captured. It was the first time the CIA had been humbled in such a way. The next year, President Kennedy instituted a ‘quarantine’ on the shipment of offensive missiles to Cuba by the Soviet Union. He also warned the Soviet Union that the launching of any missiles from Cuba against the West would bring about US nuclear retaliation, taking the world to the brink of nuclear war.
CIA Coup in Brazil 1962-02-01
The ClA began an operation in Brazil to prevent Joao Goulart from taking control of Congress, giving millions of dollars to anti-Goulart candidates. The US feared a 'drift to the Left' under his leadership even though Goulart was a millionaire landowner who had offered a toast to 'the Yankee victory!' after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Next, a ClA-backed military coup overthrew Goulart's elected government and installed General Castelo Branco as leader. Branco, with help from the ClA, created Latin America's first death squads.
Mobutu linked to CIA 1964-01-01
Despite presiding over one of the poorest countries in the world, Mobutu Sese Seko once spent $65,000 to fly his daughter's four-meter-high wedding cake from Paris to his private estate. Seko's wealth was made possible by a ClA-backed military coup that installed him as dictator of Zaire in 1964. Mobutu'went on to exploit his desperately poor country for billions, with an IMF official estimating his wealth at $4 billion in the mid-1980s. Zaire received massive US economic and military assistance during his rule, in return for unfettered access to its fabulous mineral wealth. Since his country was a bastion of anti-communism during the Cold War
Vietnam War 1964-05-01
1964-1975
By 1964 US military advisers had been in South Vietnam for a decade and numbered 16,500. That year, two US Navy destroyers mistakenly reported they had been attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. North Vietnam and the US were already on a collision course, and President Lyndon Johnson used the supposed attack to pass the ‘Tonkin Gulf Resolution,’ which he later described as ‘like grandma's nightshirt - it covered everything.’ The resolutions allowed him to take ‘all measures necessary,’ and by 1965, 200,000 American troops were in Vietnam; in 1968, there were 540,000. Despite their numbers, American soldiers had difficulty contending with the guerilla tactics of the Viet Cong. As the war dragged on, the Americans became less convinced it was winnable. Images of massacres on the nightly news created furor in public opinion, and by the late 1960s, Americans argued about when, not if, US troops should pull out. In 1975 the last us soldier left, and Vietnam's 30 year struggle for independence was complete, in the end, more than 57,000 American soldiers and 3,000,000 Vietnamese had died.
Dominican Republic 1965-04-28
The US intervened in the Dominican Republic for the fourth time in 58 years, to protect American lives and property during a revolt, and to ‘prevent another Cuba.’ They sent more troops as fears grew that the revolutionary forces were under communist control. An estimated 20,000 US troops invaded on April 28. Most of the whites in the country were evacuated by US forces and the popular revolt was smashed, at a cost of 59 Americans killed in action and 174 wounded.
CIA Coup in Greece 1965-10-01
After having a plan to settle the Cyprus issue rejected by the Greek ambassador on the grounds it was unacceptable to his country, President Lyndon Johnson warned him: ‘Fuck your parliament and your constitution. We pay a lot of good American dollars to the Greeks. If your Prime Minister gives me talk about democracy, parliament and constitutions, he, his parliament and his constitution may not last very long.’ The CIA helped King Constantine buy deputies to end the government a year later. Then in 1967, a CIA-backed military coup overthrew the Papandreou government over its refusal to back US interests two days before elections it was likely to win, ushering in the ‘Reign of the Colonels.’ Over the next six years of military control, the use of torture and murder against political opponents became the norm. Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos, a paid CIA employee since 1952, had been a leader of the Nazi Security Battalion, which hunted and killed Greek resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation. Papadopoulos immediately declared martial law and abolished political parties. The first month of his regime saw 8,000 ‘leftists’ imprisoned and tortured. The US finally admitted supporting Greek fascists in 1999.
Guatemala 1966-01-01
Three years after JFK installed Colonel Enrique Peralta Azurdia as Guatemalan leader over an elected politician, the US intervened again. (Peralta's first act after coming to power was to order eight political and trade union leaders killed by having rock-laden trucks drive over them.) The country's new leader, Julio Cesar Mendez Montenegro, allowed the US free reign. Consequently, shipments of American military equipment, helicopters and weaponry increased. US Colonel John D. Webber Jr took command of the American military mission in Guatemala and hinted at his brutal tactics when he told Time magazine ‘The communists are using everything they have including terror. And it must be met.’ His forces joined Guatemalan military attacks on peasant villages. The CIA was flying bombing and strafing missions against the peasantry using aircraft modified for slaughter with .50 cal machine guns, small rockets and napalm. USAID and the US Office of Public Safety (OPS) began a major operation to radically expand and militarize the Guatemalan police forces. By 1970 more than 30,000 Guatemalan police had received OPS training in the likes of torture techniques and ‘disappearances.’ One State Department official noted, with irony: ‘Murder, torture and mutilation are alright if our side is doing it and the victims are communists.’
Che Guevara captured 1967-10-08
A CIA-organized military action captured the legendary guerilla Che Guevara. The US wanted Che kept alive for interrogation, but the Bolivian government executed him to prevent worldwide calls for clemency. He was 39 years old. Millions mourned after hearing news of his death.
Cambodia 1969-01-01
Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos.
Oman 1970-01-01
U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion.
US enters Cambodia 1970-04-01
US troops entered Cambodia to eliminate communist sanctuaries from which the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese had launched attacks against US and South Vietnamese forces in Vietnam. That same year the CIA helped overthrow Prince Sahounek, replaced by CIA-favorite Lon Nol, who, unlike Sahounek, sent Cambodian troops into battle on America's behalf.
CIA coup in Bolivia 1971-01-01
With US Air Force support, the CIA backed a violent military coup in Bolivia in which 500 died. The coup toppled leftist President Juan Torres who had nationalized many of the country’s, industries, including oil. His replacement, General Hugo Banzer, was trained at the School of the Americas. Banzer's regime became known for using brutality to eradicate leftist elements in the country. He survived 13 coup attempts in seven years as dictator; in the same period, 200 of his political opponents were killed and 15,000 people arrested.
Laos 1971-02-01
1971-1973
U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion- \"carpet-bombs\" countryside.
Watergate 1972-06-17
On June 17, 1972, police apprehended five men attempting to break into and wiretap Democratic party offices. With two other accomplices they were tried and convicted in Jan., 1973. All seven men were either directly or indirectly employees of President Nixon's reelection committee, and many persons, including the trial judge, John J. Sirica, suspected a conspiracy involving higher-echelon government officials. The special prosecutor in charge of the case wanted to get tapes of the Oval Office discussions to help prove that President Nixon and his aides had abused their power and broken the law. President Nixon tried to stop the special prosecutor from obtaining the tapes and even had him removed from his job. In March, James McCord, one of the convicted burglars, wrote a letter to Sirica charging a massive coverup of the burglary. His letter transformed the affair into a political scandal of unprecedented magnitude.
Wounded Knee 1973-01-01
Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas.
CIA backs Pinochet 1973-01-01
Chile's president Salvador Allende was killed in a coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power. This action followed three years of covert operations and economic sabotage carried out by the CIA. Pinochet received American support throughout his presidency despite his role in the torture, killing and disappearance of thousands of Chileans.
Mideast 1973-08-01
World-wide alert during Mideast War.
Angola 1975-04-01
During a civil war in Angola, the US supplied arms to the FNLA (National Front for the Liberation of Angola) to fight the Soviet-backed MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation.of Angola); it also trained FNLA troops and conducted aerial operations from Zaire, dropping supplies to the FNLA. CIA officers and US military advisors entered the area, and the CIA set up a covert arms network to circumvent the US State Department's ban on importing weapons to South Africa. This was part of an exchange system in which South Africa helped move US-supplied equipment from Zaire to the FNLA. Congress cancelled all financing for Operations in Angola in 1976, but funding was maintained through Zaire's dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. More than 300,000 people died and much of Angola was destroyed.
US withdraws from Guatemala 1977-01-01
Under President Carter, US troops were withdrawn from Guatemala and most US money was cut off - though arms and cash continued to flow, via Israel. US-trained death squads and the military had killed an estimated 20,000 people in the previous 10 years.
Beginnings of Contra Rebels 1979-05-01
The US-backed dictator of Nicaragua, Anastasios Somoza II, fell from power and was replaced by the Marxist Sandinistas. The new regime received popular support for their calls for land reform and solutions to poverty. The surviving members of the National Guard, Samoza's brutal secret police force, became the Contra rebels that fought a CIA-backed guerilla war against the Sandinistas throughout the 1980s.
Beginnings of Al Qaeda 1979-12-01
After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the CIA armed all factions willing to fight against the Soviets including the Islamic fundamentalist mujahedeen groups. This money influenced the later organization of the Taliban and al Qaeda.
American Hostages in Iran 1980-04-26
On April 26, 1980, President Carter approved the use of six US transport planes and eight helicopters in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue American hostages being held in Iran. Eight US Marines died when two of the choppers collided at night near the desert staging area for the operation.
San Salvador Civil War 1980-05-01
Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador appealed to President Carter, ‘Christian to Christian,’ to stop financing the brutal Right-wing government of Salvadoran military dictator Roberto D'Aubuisson. D'Aubuisson had Romero shot while celebrating Mass; soon after El Salvador fell into civil war. The CIA and the US military gave the government military and intelligence superiority over the rebels who were mostly poor peasants. They then began training the Salvadoran death squads. By 1992 some 63,000 Salvadorans had been killed in the fighting.
Contra Terrorists in Hoduras 1980-11-01
The US began basing Nicaraguan Contra terrorists in Honduras, as well as using Honduran territory to support El Salvadoran death squads. In exchange, US military aid to Honduras was radically increased and death squads established to eliminate Honduran dissidents. Aid rose from $16 million in 1978 to $231 million by the early 1980s.
Iran Contra 1981-06-01
As part of its continuing support for the Contra terrorists, the CIA began selling weapons to Iran, via Israel, and using the profits to finance the Contras. This later became known as the ‘Iran-Contra Affair.’ This year also saw the Freedom Fighter's Manual issued by the CIA to the Contras, which included instructions on economic sabotage, propaganda and general insurgency. The US applied pressure to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to limit and reduce loans to Nicaragua, as well as imposing an economic embargo.
El Salvador 1981-10-01
1981-1992
Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash.
Lebanon 1982-01-01
82-84
Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions
Khmer Rouge 1982-01-01
In order to help rehabilitate the Khmer Rouge - allied with Washington against the Vietnam-backed government of Cambodia - the US government announced the creation of a new coalition of Cambodian rebel forces, called the Coalition of the Democratic Government of Kampuchea. It was dominated by the Khmer Rouge, who under Pol Pot had killed one in four Cambodians in four years of genocide - though its national head was Prince Sihanouk. After the formation of this ‘coalition,’ Chinese aid to the rebels increased. So did US aid, which by the late 1980s ran at $5 million officially and $20- to 24-million unofficially per year.
Iran Contra Cont. 1982-06-00
US Senators were so outraged by covert CIA support for Nicaraguan Contras that in 1982 they passed a bill cutting off all money aimed at 'overthrowing the Government of Nicaragua.' Despite this directive, the CIA continued operating in Nicaragua, mining three of its harbors in 1984. Years later, these actions were the basis for a $17 billion judgment against the US in a case Nicaragua brought before the World Court. The American government did not recognize the decision and never paid the damages. Also in 1984, President Reagan set up a front organization directed by Oliver North to solicit donations for Contras from wealthy American anti-communists. The program expanded to the point where North's office was providing the Contras with weapons paid for by illegal arms sales to Iran, then considered a 'terrorist' state. The US government was forced to admit to the scheme in 1986 when a transport plane carrying military supplies to the Contras was shot down. Survivor Eugene Hasenfus, and two dead pilots all turned out to be CIA employees. North and his secretary quickly shredded documents implicating them and their friends - including Vice President George Bush - but it was too late. Years of hearings and special investigations led to many resignations and a few minor convictions. But the mud did not stick. On Christmas Eve 1992, President Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Weinberger, former national security adviser Robert McFarlane and four other officials linked to the iran-Contra affair, including Elliot Abrams. Today, Abrams serves as a special advisor to the current President Bush, running the National Security Council's Middle East desk. Bush also tried to redeem John Poindexter, who had also been convicted of lying to Congress about the Iran-Contra affair. In 2002, Bush asked Poindexter to head Total Information Awareness (TIA), a government snooping program that was scaled back after public furor. Even Oliver North landed on his feet, drawing on his Iran-Contra fame to make millions as a high-priced speaker, best-selling author and syndicated columnist. Republicans didn't lose faith in North either, giving him the nod as the Party's candidate for the 1994 Senate race in Virginia, which he lost.
US helps seize Guatemala 1982-11-01
General Efrain Rios Montt, a former student of the School of the Americas, seized control of Guatemala with US support. After the coup, US arms shipments to Guatemala increased. Rios Montt declared a state of emergency and suspended the rule of law. Within the first six months of his rule 2,600 natives had been massacred. During his 17 months in power he oversaw the complete destruction of 400 native villages. President Reagan paid a state visit and publicly stated his belief that Rios Montt was ‘totally dedicated to democracy’.
Grenada 1983-01-01
Invasion four years after revolution.
Back in Angola 1983-05-01
Although the US-backed revolt against the government of Angola largely came to an end in 1976, a new US-South African plan to destabilize the country was drawn up. It was another example of President Reagan reversing Carter's policy of limiting American imperialism and intervention. Elements of the plan involved unifying the anti-government forces, sabotaging Angola's factories, pressuring Cuba to remove its troops and stopping foreign investment. When knowledge of the project became known, the US denied it, though UNITA (the National Union for the Total independence of Angola) - the only pro-US body still fighting - simply refused to comment. A month later the UN censured South Africa for its involvement in Angola, with the US the sole abstainer.
Operation Urgent Fury 1983-10-01
In October the US invaded the island of Grenada following the overthrow and murder of popular socialist leader Maurice Bishop. The official rationale for Operation Urgent Fury was an ‘urgent’ request for aid from the Organization of East Caribbean States (OECS) who said they ‘feared an aggressive act’ from the new ultra-left regime; there were also concerns for the safety of American students on the island. But the Barbadian PM later said the OECS plea had been triggered by US requests and that regime change had been planned for some time. The initial invasion force of 1,200 troops was met by stiff resistance from the Grenadan army and Cuban military units. Heavy fighting continued for several days, but as the US force grew to more than 7,000, the defenders began surrendering or fleeing into the mountains. The forced regime change in a Commonwealth country saw the usually cozy relationship between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher plummet to freezing point. Scattered fighting continued as US troops hunted down stragglers, but for the most part the island quickly fell under American control to widespread local support. The conservatives were happy that socialism had been put to rest, and the majority was happy that Bishop's murder had been avenged. By mid-December, US combat forces went home and a pro-American government took power. One of its first acts was to seize books and institute a system of censorship, it also made the US troops ‘heroes of the republic.’ By the end of fighting 19 Americans, 49 Granadans and 29 Cuban nationals had died.
Iran 1984-01-01
Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf.
Angola One More Time 1985-01-01
President Reagan won permission from Congress to resume full military support to UNITA in Angola; by 1987 this aid included Stinger missiles. The CIA began training and helping UNITA through South Africa as well as via front organizations previously used to support the Contras in Nicaragua. In 1991, UNITA and the government agreed a ceasefire, but in 1992, once it became clear that the MPLA would win the UN certified free elections, UNITA resumed the war, again with US and South African support. In 1993, the US finally recognized the Angolan government and the Clinton administration ended aid to UNITA.
Car Bomb in Lebanon 1985-05-01
President Reagan ordered the CIA to launch a strike against Hizbollah's Sheikh Fadlallah in Lebanon. A car bomb planted by a Lebanese intelligence unit, trained and supported by the CIA, exploded close to a mosque during Friday night prayers in a densely-populated Shia Muslim suburb. It flattened two seven-storey blocks of flats, a mosque and a cinema, killing 80 people, most of them passers-by. The sheikh survived. This bloody failure is said to have led President Reagan to cancel the CIA’s ‘license to assassinate.’
US Meddles in Haiti 1986-01-01
After a popular revolt, Haitian dictator 'Baby Doc' Duvalier was evacuated on a US Air Force jet to France, where he retired with millions of dollars. He left behind him the poorest country in the world: more than half the people were unemployed, and four in five were illiterate. A Haitian child had a one in three chance of dying before its fifth birthday. The CIA began working to install another dictator, but popular unrest against more US meddling kept the political situation unstable for the next four years. In an attempt to strengthen the military against the people, the CIA created, trained and supplied the National Intelligence Service. The NIS was ‘created’ to fight the cocaine trade, but it suppressed popular revolt and free expression by means of torture and assassination. In the 21 months after Duvalier's ousting, there were more people killed by the government than in the previous 15 years of his regime.
US Kills 35 Libyan Seamen 1986-05-01
Libyan leader Colonel Gadhaffi called for worldwide Arab attacks on the US after 35 seamen on a Libyan patrol boat were killed by US attacks in international waters. The bombing of a West Berlin disco two weeks later killed two American soldiers and wounded more than 230 others. It was widely believed to be the work of Libyan agents and led to retaliatory US air strikes on Tripoli ten days after the bombing. Forty were killed, including Gadhaffi's adopted daughter.
Bolivia 1986-10-01
Army assists raids on cocaine region.
US in Persian Gulf 1987-11-01
After the Iran-Iraq War resulted in several military incidents in the Persian Gulf, the US increased its naval presence there, and adopted a policy of reflagging and escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers. President Reagan reported that US ships had been fired upon, struck mines or taken other military action three times that year and three times the next. The US gradually reduced its forces after a cease-fire between Iran and Iraq on August 20, 1988.
US Troops to Panama 1988-04-01
In the spring, amid growing calls for the resignation of Panamanian leader General Manuel Noriega and general instability, the US sent 1,000 troops to Panama to ‘further safeguard the canal, US lives, property and interests in the area.’ The forces supplemented 10,000 US military personnel already there. The DEA also indicted Noriega on federal drug charges connected to his involvement with the Medellin cocaine cartel in the early 1980s. It marked the beginning of the end for Noriega, whose criminal acts had long been overlooked in exchange for allowing the US to set up listening posts, aiding pro-US forces in El Salvador and Nicaragua, letting Contras train in Panama, and acting as a conduit for US arms and money in the region.
Iran Air Flight 655 1988-07-03
On July 3 the USS Vincennes invaded Iranian territorial waters and shot down Iran Air flight #655 to Dubai over the Straits of Hormuz, killing 290 civilians and crew. Two surface-to-air missiles were fired after the ship's operators thought they were being attacked by a fighter jet. A Newsweek investigation found that the Vincennes was pursuing Iranian gunboats and testing the Aegis computer system - the most advanced in the world - for the first time. In the chatter and confusion, a chain of mistakes led to the plane being missed from the ship's civilian flight schedules, warned on the wrong frequency and misidentified as a fighter jet after a US sailor forgot to reset the device used to scan transponders. Captain Rezaian on #655 heard none of the warnings, reporting that all was well 30 seconds before the US missiles blew his plane apart. To cover up their appalling mistake the Americans began lying immediately, claiming #655 was flying outside the civilian air corridor (it wasn't), that it hadn't responded to warnings (it couldn't, as they were broadcast on a military frequency), that the Vincennes was protecting a ship under fire from Libyans (it wasn't), that the Vincennes had been in international waters (it wasn't) and that #655 was descending (it wasn't). For their ‘heroism,’ the ship's crew was awarded combat action ribbons and Commander Lustig, the air warfare coordinator, received - the Navy's Commendation Medal for his ‘heroic achievement’ in ‘his ability to maintain his poise and confidence under fire.’ Still, the Navy did later claim the attack was a ‘mistake.’
US Arrests Noriega 1989-01-01
General Noriega's disregard for results of the Panamanian election received a quick US response from President Bush. He ordered approximately 1,900 troops to Panama on March 11, 1989, to augment the estimated 11,000 US forces already in the area, charged with protecting American citizens and bringing General Noriega to justice. Noriega was captured, given a show trial, and then imprisoned for life in isolation inside the US. Official American casualties were 23 troops killed in action, but this number is contested because of a media blackout instituted during the invasion. General Manual Noriega had been supported by the CIA since 1966 and his drug smuggling was known to the CIA from 1972. However, his growing independence and intransigence resulted in Washington turning against him.
Virgin Islands 1989-05-01
St. Croix Black unrest after storm.
Philippines 1989-12-01
Air cover provided for government against coup.
Saudi Arabia 1990-01-01
90-91
Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.
NED Funds Bulgarian Election 1990-01-01
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a US government program that provides funds to promote favored politicians and political parties abroad. In 1990, during Bulgaria's first democratic elections in 45 years, NED spent more than $2 million to prevent the Bulgarian Socialist Party from gaining power. After the Socialists won the election in a free ballot, the US promoted a six-month destabilization campaign of street demonstrations, strikes, sit-ins and sieges of parliament. It openly endorsed the pro-US, anti-communist Union of Democratic Forces, also funding equipment and staff for the UDF. Eventually Socialist President MIadenov was forced to resign.
Iraq 1990-10-02
Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; no-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south, large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.
Kuwait 1991-01-01
Kuwait royal family returned to throne.
Operation Desert Storm 1991-01-16
On January 16th, the US began aerial bombardment and cruise missile attacks on Iraqi positions. Operation Desert Storm was part of a UN-authorized coalition of 18 countries that attacked Iraq after it invaded Kuwait. A ground offensive began on February 27 and within three days, the Iraqi army surrendered. The ceasefire conditions included long term inspections to ensure the elimination of all Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. In the following months, the US, France and Britain declared ‘no fly’ zones over Northern and Southern Iraq to protect Kurd and Shia minorities. Most of the 166 Allied dead were killed in friendly fire incidents. More than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers died. The New Yorker later documented that many Iraqi deaths were the product of US war crimes under General Barry McCaffrey.
L.A. Riots 1992-04-29
Los Angeles, CA - Following a jury verdict which acquitted four L.A.P.D. officers of charges resulting from the video-taped beating of motorist Rodney King, Southcentral Los Angeles erupted in a violent and deadly outburst of arson and shooting. 4,000 regular Army troops and 1,000 federal law enforcement officers were deployed into Los Angeles. The dectruction was as follows: 38 people dead, 1,250 people injuried, 3,600 structural fires, hundreds of businesses looted and closed, and more than 3,000 people arrested. At least 4 police officers and 3 firefighters were shot and hundreds of other injuried as they attempted to control the fires and lawlessness over the three day period. Sporadic acts of violence, arson, and property damage were also associated with the Los Angeles Riots in such cities as Tampa, FL, Pittsburg, PA, Birmingham, MS, Omaha, NE, and several other locations.
Yugoslavia 1992-12-01
92-94
NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro.
Operation Restore Hope 1992-12-01
In December, President Bush deployed US forces to Somalia in response to a humanitarian crisis that the UN Security Council believed threatened international peace. It was thought troops would be deployed for a few months, but Operation Restore Hope lasted until 1994 and involved 30,000 soldiers. While the forces were initially greeted with open arms by starving Somalis, they left under the dark shadow of the events of October 3-4, 1993. In an operation against a stronghold of warlord General Aidid, whom the UN had ordered arrested, more than 300 Somali soldiers were killed. Two American ‘Blackhawk’ helicopters were shot down, 18 soldiers killed in street fighting, and the dead body of a US Ranger dragged through the streets of Mogadishu for the world's media to see. Osama bin Laden was later indicted by the US for his role in issuing fatwas calling for al Qaeda members in Somalia to attack Americans.
Continued Bombing of Iraq 1992-12-27
US aircraft shot down an Iraqi aircraft in the ‘no fly’ zone for the first time on December 27. In the following weeks, planes from the US and coalition partners attacked missile bases in southern Iraq. After Bill Clinton became president in January 1993, he asserted that the US would continue with the Bush policy on Iraq.
Bombing of Iraq Cont. 1993-01-01
The almost continual bombing of Iraq continued: in January more than 100 US, British and French planes launched a punitive raid on targets in the southern ‘no fly’ zone; 46 cruise missiles were fired at Iraq's alleged nuclear program in Baghdad and US forces attacked 32 Iraqi positions. Twice during April, US warplanes bombed Iraqi anti-aircraft sites that had tracked US aircraft. That same month, the Iraqi government was implicated in an alleged plot to assassinate former President George Bush in Kuwait. In response, US naval forces launched 23 cruise missiles at the Iraqi Intelligence Service's headquarters in Baghdad; a handful landed in residential areas. US aircraft also attacked an anti-aircraft site in June and an Iraqi missile battery in August.
Operation Deny Flight 1994-02-01
The US participated in a NATO air action to enforce a UN ban on unauthorized military flights over Bosnia- Herzegovina, called Operation Deny Flight. Four warplanes violating the zone were shot down by NATO aircraft in February 1994.
Operation Uphold Democracy 1994-09-19
After Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted from power in a military coup, the US decided to intervene and restore the rightfully-elected president to power. Operation Uphold Democracy was launched on September 19 with UN Security Council approval. As 3,900 US paratroopers were preparing to invade, the Haitian military voluntarily consented to allow the US forces to land peacefully. The airborne troops were returned but 15,000 US soldiers remained in Haiti in order to ensure Aristide's return to power. On March 31, 1995, the US transferred full responsibility for Haiti to the UN.
Congo 1996-01-01
96-97
Marines at Rwandan Hutu refugee camps, in area where Congo revolution begins
Operation Desert Strike 1996-09-03
Following the entry of Iraqi forces into the northern Kurdish autonomous zone, Operation Desert Strike began on September 3. The US launched at least 44 cruise missiles into Iraq over the next two days. The ‘no fly’ zone was expanded from the 32nd parallel north to the 33rd parallel.
Zaire Invaded 1996-12-01
Two years after the genocide that killed 800,000 Hutus, the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) invaded eastern Zaire along with a Zairian revolutionary force led by Laurent Kabila. As a result, Hutu refugees who had fled Rwanda after the civil war of 1990-1994 were either driven away or killed. Local witnesses claimed that US soldiers fought with RPA soldiers in Congolese territory, but State Department officials denied any US involvement. Nevertheless, the Department of Defense did admit to providing combat training to RPA soldiers before the invasion of Zaire. Rwandan president Paul Kagame, who had been a general with the RPA during the civil war, was trained at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.
Sudan 1998-01-01
Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be "terrorist" nerve gas plant.
Operation Desert Fox 1998-01-01
Operation Desert Fox was launched because of Iraqi non-compliance with international weapons inspections. Airstrikes hit airfields, military command centres, oil refineries and Republican Guard bases. Secretary of Defense William Cohen noted: ‘We wanted to strike quickly with no more warning, no more carrots for Saddam and no chance to prepare for the attacks.’ Strikes continued almost daily after weapons inspectors were finally ejected from the country.
Civilian Pharmaceutical Bombed 1998-05-01
In response to al Qaeda bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 and wounded more than 5,000, President Clinton launched a cruise missile attack against a chemical plant in Khartoum, Sudan. Clinton claimed the factory was involved in the production of nerve gas but it was later confirmed that not only was the civilian pharmaceutical facility not used for making chemical weapons, it was even contracted to the UN. The attack took place on the eve of Monica Lewinsky's testimony to the grand jury investigating Clinton's lying under oath. As part of the same operation the US launched 75 cruise missiles at terrorist, training camps in Afghanistan, killing 20 civilians.
Afghanistan 1998-06-01
Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies.
Operation Infinite Reach 1998-11-01
As part of ‘Operation Infinite Reach’ Clinton launched some 75 cruise missiles at small villages in Afghanistan, killing a number of civilians.
President Clinton Impeached 1998-12-19
Saturday 19 December 1998, President William Jefferson Clinton was impeached by the United States House of Representatives, becoming only the second President in U.S. History, and the only man popularly elected as President to have been so charged.
The House voted 228 to 206 to approve proposed Article I of Impeachment (Perjury before a Federal Grand Jury), and voted 221 to 212 to approve proposed Article III of Impeachment (Obstruction of Justice).
Although the impeachment process succeeded at the level of the House of Representatives, without the Senate's confirming action in this matter, no further action was taken.
Yugoslavia 1999-06-01
Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo. NATO occupation of Kosovo
US Bombs Yugoslavia 1999-11-01
With fighting between the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Yugoslav government showing no signs of abating, Western governments brought the two camps together in 1999 to work out a peace plan. On March 24, after Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic refused to accept the deal, the US and its NATO allies made good on a long-standing threat, bombing Yugoslavia with air- and sea-launched cruise missiles. The strikes were meant to destabilize Milosevic's government, but they also hit civilian targets such as hospitals, churches, utilities and perhaps most famously, the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. After the bombing, more than 2000 Yugoslavs were dead. In addition to the military campaign, American money went to opposition groups who eventually forced Milosevic out of office nonviolently through strikes and massive street protests in 2000.
Yemen 2000-01-01
USS Cole bombed
2000 Election Scandal 2000-11-02
George W. Bush himself was elected president in the hotly contested 2000 campaign. George Bush lost the popular election by 500,000 votes, but won the electoral vote by winning hotly contested Florida, the state that tipped the scales, and the state where his brother Jeb is governor. His tiny 500-vote win there was accompanied by a torrent of hanging chads and unhappy voters, who claimed their votes were stolen.
Five months before the election, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris ordered the removal of 57,700 names from Florida’s voter rolls on grounds that they were felons... It was discovered that at minimum, 90.2 percent of the people were completely innocent of any crime – except for being African American. The Florida Republicans wanted to block African Americans, who largely vote as Democrats, from voting.
The biggest wholesale theft occurred inside the voting booths in black rural counties. In Gadsden County, one of the blackest in the state, thousands of votes were simply thrown away. Gadsden used paper ballots which are read by an optical reader. Ballots with a single extra mark were considered “spoiled“ and not counted. The buttons used to fill out the ballots were set up – with approval from Bush and Harris – to make votes appear unclear to the machine. One in eight ballots in Gadsden was voided by the state.
The same ballots were used in Tallahassee County, which is mostly white. There only one in 100 votes was “spoiled.” What made the difference? In Tallahassee, ballots were read on the premises, and if they were marked incorrectly, voters were sent to revote until they got it right. In the black counties, the votes were trucked off immediately. There were no machines on site. Voters weren’t told that their votes were spoiled, and they certainly weren’t permitted to re-vote.
Maceonia 2001-01-01
NATO forces deployed to move and disarm Albanian rebels
9/11 2001-09-11
News Footage from 9/11 here
When 3,000 people died in an al Qaeda attack on the world Trade Center, President George Bush assured Americans that the perpetrators would be punished. As host to al Qaeda's leadership, Afghanistan's Taliban government became the first target of the US-led 'war on terror.' Operation Enduring Freedom began with aerial bombing and cruise missile attacks in early October, followed by a US Special Forces ground war, 'we're offering help and friendship to the Afghan people,' said Bush. 'It is their Taliban rulers, and the terrorists they harbor, who have much to fear.'
Seventy-eight days after fighting began, American troops had secured Kabul and other key areas thanks to help from the US-funded Northern Alliance. At least 3,800 Afghan civilians died in the first nine weeks of the war, but international support remained strong for the US invasion, once the repressive Taliban regime had been ousted. Hamid Karzai was installed as Afghanistan's president, in the mountains and countryside of Afghanistan, however change was slower to arrive. Karzai's government lacked influence outside Kabul, where power remained in the titanium grip of local warlords, controllers of Afghanistan's multi-billion dollar poppy crop (used to make heroin), that expanded by 3600 percent over its pre-war levels.
The rise of the warlords and lack of a strong central government has forced American and coalition forces from France and Canada to take on a policing function. At the same time, they continue to skirmish with Taliban fighters. And al Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden still eludes capture. But in a flash. Kabul's famous bazaars and dusty streets have become vibrant and alive. Women have gained new freedoms and are considered equal to men before the law. Full elections are promised by June 2004. And the nation has a constitution to call its own.
Operation Enduring Freedom 2001-10-07
The military response to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States was assigned the name Operation Enduring Freedom, but was previously planned to have been called Operation Infinite Justice (this name is believed to have been changed following concerns that this might offend the Muslim community as Islam teaches that Allah is the only one who can provide Infinite Justice).
OEF commenced on Oct. 7, 2001. Early combat operations included a mix of air strikes from land-based B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers; carrier-based F-14 and F/A-18 fighters; and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from both U.S. and British ships and submarines.
The initial military objectives of Operation Enduring Freedom, include the destruction of terrorist training camps and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al Qaeda leaders, and the cessation of terrorist activities in Afghanistan.
Enron Scandal 2001-12-01
In just 15 years, Enron grew from nowhere to be America's seventh largest company, employing 21,000 staff in more than 40 countries. But the firm's success turned out to have involved an elaborate scam.
Enron lied about its profits and stands accused of a range of shady dealings, including concealing debts so they didn't show up in the company's accounts.
As the depth of the deception unfolded, investors and creditors retreated, forcing the firm into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December.
More than six months after a criminal inquiry was announced, the guilty parties have still not been brought to justice. There are more than 90 lawsuits have been filed in Houston federal court against Enron, its executives, Arthur Andersen and others.
Enron and its executives are also the single largest contributors to the political ambitions of George W. Bush.
Yemen 2002-01-01
Predator drone missile attack on Al Qaeda, including a US citizen.
Philippines 2002-01-01
Training mission for Philippine military fighting Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels evolves into US combat missions in Sulu Archipelago next to Mindanao.
US Supports Venezuelan Coup 2002-04-01
The US supported the overthrow of the democratically elected president of Venezuela; a popular uprising returned him to power.
On February 4, 1992, a 38-year old Venezuelan paratrooper named Hugo Chavez led a coup against President Carlos Andres Perez. The failed putsch ended with the jailing of Chavez, who called the existing government a ‘false democracy’ plagued by ‘predatory oligarchs’ who serve only international capital. Chavez remained in jail until he was pardoned in 1994. Four years later he was president of Venezuela.
Chavez fought for a new constitution and land reforms after rising to power in 1998. Mixed in with his domestic agenda was plenty of anti-globalization rhetoric, visits with Fidel Castro, and outspoken opposition to the US terror war, accusing the US of ‘fighting terror with terror.’ By his second term, Chavez had Washington's full attention. In February 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell testified before a Senate committee to express the administration's concern with ‘some of the actions of Venezuelan President Chavez and his understanding of what a democratic system is all about.’ US-Venezuelan relations were further weakened in February 2002, when Chavez exercised state control of the nation's oil industry. Venezuela is the fourth largest oil-producing nation and the third largest oil provider to the US. Around this time, the head of the Venezuelan business federation, Pedro Carmona, was brought to the White House. There he met with Otto Reich, who served previously in the Reagan administration, running the Office for Public Diplomacy and reporting directly to Oliver North. Reich is said to have had numerous meetings with Carmona and associates, discussing explicitly the timing and likelihood of successfully overthrowing Chavez.
The coup that followed in April 2002 revealed the not-so-subtle political thuggery the US engages in to safeguard its national interests - democracy be damned. It also revealed the administration's underestimation of Chavez's popular support. During the brief, two-day success of the botched putsch, Washington gave its official support for the coup, endorsing Carmona's unconstitutional government. The New York Times did likewise. A popular uprising began the next day, leading to Chavez’s return to power and prompting an about-face by the Bush administration and the Times.
In the two years since, more details of US involvement have surfaced. The US ambassador to Venezuela and two US embassy military attaches have been implicated, said to have met with the coup leaders just prior to their attempt at dislodging Chavez. And a former US intelligence officer, Wayne Madsen, revealed to the Guardian newspaper that US Navy ships provided electronic jamming during the putsch, blocking Chavez's ability to communicate with his diplomatic allies. Chavez, meanwhile, remains mad as hell. Threatening to halt oil imports to the US and promising a 100-year war if the US invades, Chavez remarked in March 2004, ‘The government of Washington is using the money of its people to support - not only opposition activities - but acts of conspiracy.’
Columbia 2003-01-01
US special forces sent to rebel zone to back up Colombian military protecting oil pipeline.
War on Terror 2003-01-01
United States stages its War on Terror.
‘Since the overthrow of the Iranian government in 1953, the CIA has engaged in disguised assaults on the governments of Guatemala (1954); the Congo (1960); Cuba (1961); Brazil (1964); Afghanistan (1979 to the present); El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua (1980s); and Iraq (1991 to the present) – to name only the most obvious cases. These operations have generated numerous terrorist attacks and other forms of retaliation – what the CIA calls ‘blowback’ – against the United States by peoples on the receiving end. Because covert operations are secret from the people of the United States, when retaliation hits, as it did spectacularly on Sept. 11, 2001, Americans do not have the information to put it into context or understand it.’ Chalmers Johnson
Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003-03-19
The military objectives of Operation Iraqi Freedom consist of first, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein. Second, to identify, isolate and eliminate, Iraq's weapons of mass destruciton. Third, to search for, to capture and to drive out terrorists from the country. Fourth, to collect intelligence related to terrorist networks. Fifth, to collect such intelligence as is related to the global network of illicit weapons of mass destruction. Sixth, to end sanctions and to immediately deliver humanitarian support to the displaced and to many needed citizens. Seventh, to secure Iraq's oil fields and resources, which belong to the Iraqi people. Finally, to help the Iraqi people create conditions for a transition to a representative self-government.
Operation Iraqi Freedom consisted of the largest special operations force since the Vietnam War. While the vast majority of special operations forces were American, the United Kingdom and the Australian militaries also provided forces. In northern Iraq there was a significant special operations presence. Coalition personnel worked with Kurdish fighters against the regime. SOF helped bring in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and marked and called in coalition air power on regime targets. Special operations forces were also responsible for attacking a number of specific targets such as airfields, weapons of mass destruction sites, and command and control headquarters. In the south, special operations personnel gave aid to conventional forces and did some of the work in the cities to help the Shi'ia elements.
Weapons of Mass Destruction? 2003-05-01
Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
Dick Cheney August 26, 2002
We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more.
Colin Powell February 5, 2003
Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.
George Bush March 18, 2003
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The Bush administration has admitted that Saddam Hussein probably had no weapons of mass destruction. Senior officials in the Bush administration have admitted that they would be amazed if weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were found in Iraq. According to administration sources, Saddam shut down and destroyed large parts of his WMD programmes before the invasion of Iraq.
Ironically, the claims came as US President George Bush repeatedly justified the war as necessary to remove Iraq's chemical and biological arms which posed a direct threat to America. Bush claimed: Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. We will find them.
The comments from within the administration will add further weight to attacks on the US government that there is no smoking gun and that the war against Iraq which centred on claims that Saddam was a risk to Britain, America and the Middle East because of unconventional weapons was UNJUSTIFIED.
The Govenator 2003-10-08
Capping an 11-week campaign bizarre even by Hollywood standards, California voters turned to action movie hero and political novice Arnold Schwarzenegger to come to the rescue as the state's next governor.
Voters ousted incumbent Gov. Gray Davis on Tuesday and selected Schwarzenegger over 134 other candidates on the ballot.
Faulty Report on Terror 2004-05-17
Are we winning the war on terrorism?
Although keeping score is difficult, the State Department's annual report on international terrorism, released last month, provides the best government data to answer this question. The short answer is ‘No,’ but that's not the spin the administration is putting on it.
‘You will find in these pages clear evidence that we are prevailing in the fight,’ said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. As evidence, the ‘Patterns of Global Terrorism’ report says that worldwide terrorism dropped by 45 percent between 2001 and 2003. The report even boasts that the number of terrorist acts committed last year ‘represents the lowest annual total of international terrorist attacks since 1969.’
Yet, a careful review of the report and underlying data supports the opposite conclusion: The number of significant terrorist acts increased from 124 in 2001 to 169 in 2003 -- 36 percent -- even using the State Department's official standards. The data that the report highlights are ill-defined and subject to manipulation -- and give disproportionate weight to the least important terrorist acts. The only verifiable information in the annual reports indicates that the number of terrorist events has risen each year since 2001, and in 2003 reached its highest level in more than 20 years.
2004 US Presidential Election 2004-11-02
The U.S. presidential election of 2004 is scheduled to occur on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2, 2004. After formal election by the U.S. Electoral College on December 13, the winner will be inaugurated to a four-year term as President of the United States on January 20, 2005.
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