Yes, the Monroe Doctrine worked. No foreign power dare invade Central or South America.
Argentina and the Falklands is another story.
Russia Reacts to NATO…and History
- Thread starter danmand
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Argentina and the Falklands is another story.
The American carriers have been there since 1945. A carrier is an offensive weapon- that's why China is building them- to "reunite" Taiwan.
Well, all those conflicts happened years and years ago, before I was alive or aware of them. The US destabilizing South American countries back then is one of the reasons we have the migrants trying to enter the US each and every day. US imposed dictators or coups triggered civil war, massive corruption and horrible management of those countries, which made life hellish to live through. Now, we'll never know how things might have evolved if the CIA didn't help the United Fruit Company in Guatemala. Maybe it develops a strong political system and stomps out corruption, and it thrives. But, instead, it had a 30 year civil war and still has massive corruption and crime.
As for what is going on in Ukraine, Russia is a warning power. They do not have the economic might of a super power, nor the resources. They have a large army that will hammer Ukraine and will have air superiority. Without assistance, it will be a fairly quick fight. I think Putin is scared and only has a small window to accomplish this. Its a big gamble for him. Will the west stand up to him, or let him attack/destabilize a sovereign nation? If they let him have his way, will he become emboldened like a certain former German dictator, and decide to gobble up other former Soviet satellite states? I know the US hasn't really decided on a military intervention if things go off the rails, but the economic sanctions they impose could cripple the Russian economy.
Now, all of that being said, western Europe gets a LOT of gas from Russia....So, any conflict could see that supply cut or diminished. Is it possible to supply the continent with LNG via ships from North America? NOPE! So, this could be a big fucking problem for countries looking to protect Ukrainian sovereignty.
You aren't wrong. I think China expects Taiwan will eventually see the error of their ways and rejoin the Middle Kingdom. China longs to be able to project their military power, but right now their navy and airforce just isn't strong enough to do too much. If they went head-to-head with a US carrier fleet, it would be over pretty quickly. The US would likely have a bloody nose, but China's fleet would likely be at the bottom of the ocean. The reality is they basically bough obsolete equipment and are trying to convert it into a modern aircraft carrier. They have one they are building, and it could be launched in the next few months. However, it takes a lot of training to utilize it, and to have enough pilots who are seasoned enough to do air operations at sea.
Excuse me, did the efforts to destabilize Venezuela (and Cuba) happen before you were born?
The coup against Maduro's government by Guaido was in 2019.
Well, Cuba started in the 1960s. Venezuela's failed coup for the most part sounds like a bunch of former US soldiers thought they could accomplish this. There is no evidence it was sanctioned, planned or supported by the US government. Not saying that isn't what happened (we probably won't find out for a few decades). It was a fiasco from the get go. Now, as I said in my previous post, a lot of the turmoil in South America happened due to America's interference with the will of the people. They didn't like left-leaning parties in power, so they helped people like Pinochet gain power and create death squads or other bullshit. A lot of the issues in those countries stem from the colonial period and American interference.
So, yes, what happened in Venezuela was an issue. But, to be frank, what does this really have to do with Ukraine? It's not an apples to apples comparison. Is the US bad? Sure. But they didn't invade Czechoslovakia or Hungary back in the day. They are not perfect by any measure, but you can't tell me you think the US wants Ukraine as an ally so they can eventually stage an invasion into Russia in the near future?
Aside from the South American adventures, which should include the Trump security guy's attempted coup for comedy, you can't ignore US 'interventions' in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Pakistan and even Viet Nam and Korea.
As to who makes the best overlords, that's another question.
That's a very fair point. Let's face some hard truths. US intervention in Iraq directly led to things going sideways in other places, like Egypt, Libya and Syria. Not to mention the catastrophic damage done to Iraq itself. Afghanistan also impacted Pakistan. Now, Vietnam and Korea....Harder to say how messed up things are. Both are doing fairly well. South Korea is an Asian tiger, to borrow the phrase, with many huge companies, a strong economy and democracy (though it was a dictator up until about 35 years ago). Vietnam is still communist, but they are stable and the people are doing well....for a socialist/communist state.
