Tag: Caribbean

Things Do Not Always Go As Planned

The newest stupid act of attacking Venezuela is just an extension of the US ill-conceived plans for Latin America and the Caribbean….

You guys know I cannot let this go without offering a historical perspective, right?

America has a long history of intervening in Latin America and the Caribbean….all the way back to 1823 and the Monroe Doctrine…..

The Monroe Doctrine is the best known U.S. policy toward the Western Hemisphere. Buried in a routine annual message delivered to Congress by President James Monroe in December 1823, the doctrine warns European nations that the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs.

All well and good….but how has it all worked out over 200+ years?

…

U.S. policy, underpinned by the Monroe Doctrine, has shaped the region in the decades since World War II, leading to overt and covert interventions that have often — but not always — resulted in bad outcomes and unintended consequences.

Here are five examples:

The overthrow of Guatemala’s government

By 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was concerned about a Guatemalan land-reform program that nationalized property owned by the U.S.-based United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands International). The initiative was carried out under Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz, the nation’s second democratically elected leader, whose term began in 1951. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles accused Árbenz of establishing what he described as a “communist-type reign of terror.”

…

Then there is the US biggest disaster….Bay of Pigs….

Shortly after taking office in 1961, President John F. Kennedy approved a covert plan to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who had grown increasingly aligned with the Soviet Union since seizing power two years earlier. The secret operation, originally developed under the Eisenhower administration, relied on a force of about 1,400 CIA-trained Cuban exiles who were expected to seize the Bay of Pigs on Cuba’s southern coast and spark a popular uprising against Castro.

Instead, the Bay of Pigs invasion ended in disaster. Castro ordered some 20,000 troops to the beach, forcing most of the U.S.-backed invasion force to surrender. More than 100 were killed. The incident became a major embarrassment for the United States.

(There is so much more)

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/02/nx-s1-5652133/us-venezuela-interventionism-caribbean-latin-america-history-trump

Basically it is all must do as the US demands or face annihilation….the old ‘do as I say not as I do’ sort of thing.

This pathetic little man needs to whither away….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Yet More Intervention?

The US spends way too much time trying to instigate war……it is bad enough that we are basically involved in wars in almost every continent and yet some US officials are urging more involvement…..

This time it is the small island nation of Haiti….

Some top Biden administration officials are pushing for an international military intervention in Haiti over concerns of a migration crisis, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The government of acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been under pressure over growing gang violence in the country and from demonstrators that are demanding Henry resign. Henry requested foreign military intervention last month to break a blockade of a key fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince, but the Haitian national police have since broken the blockade.

The US proposed a UN resolution calling for a foreign military force to enter Haiti after Henry’s request but has struggled to find a country willing to lead the intervention. The Times report said that while the Biden administration officials want to see military intervention in the country, they don’t want it to involve US troops.

US officials said that the deployment of 2,500 troops and police officers could be enough to secure key areas in Haiti. But countries the US has looked to lead the intervention are hesitant, including Canada and Brazil.

While Haitians are facing violence and food shortage, most people in the country are against the intervention due to the country’s dark history with foreign military occupations. The most recent UN peacekeeping deployment that ended in 2017 involved extensive human rights abuses, including the sexual assault of underage girls, and a cholera outbreak.

A report from NPR earlier in November found that most Haitians oppose foreign military intervention. “All they brought was kidnappings and rape and cholera,” a protest organizer told NPR of the UN peacekeeping deployment. “If the UN sends troops to Haiti, the fighting will get even more intense.”

Henry has little popular support as he was never elected. He was made the country’s acting leader following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, whose killing was never solved.

(antiwar.com)

Who do you think will be bankrolling this endeavor?

If you cannot think in monetary terms then how about Somalia or Lebanon from our past….ring any bells?

Here is an idea since our main object internationally is to involve this nation in wars both big and small maybe the Department of Defense should return to its original name, War Department…..makes more sense than the Defense Department since our objectives are armed conflict and not defense.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Haiti–Another Intervention?

Over the weekend the news out of Haiti is that the president has been assassinated and Americans were at the heart of the deed.

A judge in Haiti said Friday that the two Americans arrested after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse told him they served as translators for the conspirators. Judge Clément Noël said he interviewed James Solages and Joseph Vincent shortly after they were taken into custody, the New York Times reports. They said their only job was translating, though they admitted to meeting with other plotters at a hotel to plan the raid. The planning picked up in the past month, the judge said. Noël said the two had weapons and other items used in the crime on them when they were arrested after a shootout with police. He said Solages and Vincent said the plan was to take Moïse to the national palace, not to kill him. Neither of the Americans was hurt in the shoutout, the judge said. Moïse was shot to death at home early Wednesday; Solages and Vincent said they were not in the room when he was killed.

Government officials said they’ve asked the US for troops. With the situation in the streets becoming more chaotic, the government wants to ensure infrastructure such as airports, gasoline reserves and ports are guarded. The US State Department did not confirm the request, but the White House said FBI and Homeland Security officials will be going to Haiti to assess the situation. There’s a power void in the country now, per CNN, without a sitting parliament and with two leaders claiming to be prime minister. Ariel Henry was about to ascend to the post, replacing Claude Joseph. He said in an interview that “Claude Joseph is not prime minister, he is part of my government.” A leading judge said the order of succession is unclear. After Moïse repeatedly failed to hold national and local elections, many offices up and down government—including the parliament—are vacant.

US Troops for Haiti?

Not like that would be something new…..there is a history there….

Increased instability in Haiti in the years before 1915 led to heightened action by the United States to deter foreign influence. Between 1911 and 1915, seven presidents were assassinated or overthrown in Haiti, increasing U.S. policymakers’ fear of foreign intervention. In 1914, the Wilson Administration sent marines into Haiti who removed $500,000 from the Haitian National Bank in December of 1914 for safe-keeping in New York, thus giving the U.S. control of the bank. In 1915, Haitian president Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam was assassinated and the situation in Haiti quickly became unstable. In response, President Wilson sent the U.S. Marines to Haiti, claiming the invasion was an attempt to prevent anarchy. In reality the Wilson administration was protecting U.S. assets in the area and preventing a possible German invasion.

https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/wwi/88275.htm

That was a 19 year occupation….does that sound at all familiar?

And now the Pentagon under Biden is considering an intervention (of ciurse they will sell this under some sort of ‘good’ sounding BS)….

While the Biden Administration says they have no plans to get militarily involved in Haiti at this time, the Pentagon says they are analyzing the idea, and that no decision has yet been made.

Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, Haiti is facing another crisis, the latest in seemingly countless crises over the past several decades. This could serve as yet another excuse for US intervention.

Haiti’s current government seems on board with the idea of having US troops ensure their ongoing rule. Not everyone is so comfortable with another foreign intervention, however.

Opposition leader Andre Michel argues that the solution to the latest crisis needs to be Haitian, and that there needs to be serious debate on what to do next. Many argue that the international community has for too long kept Haitians from making their own decisions, and that what’s left of the government has no legitimacy to call in foreign troops.

For now, the US has sent FBI and Homeland Security officials to Haiti, but it’s to be seen if they are the replacement for a military intervention or simply the advanced guard to oversee their arrival.

History is not on the side of intervention doing Haiti any real favors. The most US and UN interventions can say is that they brought relative stability while they were there, but time and again they left and watched as Haiti fell apart.

(antiwar.com)

Will this be the US next long term intervention and occupation?

The US needs to keep our troops at home….we have had enough intervention of a lifetime….

Haiti offers a larger foreign policy caution. In recent years Washington seemed to take the Monroe Doctrine worldwide. America acted like it was entitled to intervene everywhere on earth and treat the entire globe like the Western Hemisphere. Hence the almost fanatical obsession with at nation-building and regime change, no matter how unsuccessful previous attempts.

That US involvement in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq were disasters should surprise no one. Social engineering gets harder as differences in history, religion, culture, geography, and politics grow. Yet Washington had ample warning nearer home, having failed to do much better in its own neighborhood.

The Tragedy of Haiti: Washington Should Keep Its Troops at Home

I agree!

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Caribbean-American Heritage Month

This for all my friends with Caribbean background and ancestry….a rich culture that deserves more exposure to the American people.

National Caribbean-American Heritage Month in June recognizes the contributions of the Caribbean-Americans to the diversity and broader landscape of American culture.

The Caribbean is region rich with history, culture and great food and music…..

Caribbean Islands Map and Satellite Image

Caribbean American immigrants and residents of Caribbean U.S. territories are a vibrant part of the American melting pot. They have a long tradition of contributing to our communities and serving their country. From the first Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton to civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois and Jennifer Carroll, Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Caribbean American’s step up to challenges across generations.

The month is an opportunity to celebrate the heritage, history, and cultural diversity and a time to explore the traditions Caribbean-Americans carry with them.

To help you in the celebration here are some Caribbean recipes that will give you a taste of the rich flavors of the Caribbean.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/caribbean-recipes/

Please enjoy some great food and now the music…..

https://youtu.be/A3zOHHQSDNs
 
For those that would like more stuff on the Caribbean….may I suggest this site?  https://library.brown.edu/create/modernlatinamerica/chapters/chapter-4-cuba/elements-of-caribbean-history/
 
Speaking of Caribbean….there is a storm heading to us, Cristobal….we should get some wind and a bunch of rain….but there should be no major damage….at least the islands were saved from any damage.
 
I will close out my day with some Melon Curry and a cold beer…..for anyone that would like to join in this meal…..https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/recipes/watermelon-curry
 
Enjoy!
 
Be Well…..Be Safe…..
 
“lego ergo scribo”