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Picture Credit: Peace Pledge Union US Military Expansion and Intervention
The United States has a long history of military operations to expand its power in both peacetime and war. In the first century after independence, the US took military control of the North American continent, seizing territory from the native peoples, and from Britain, France, Spain, Canada and Mexico. Overseas military operations also began at an early date -- with the First Barbary War of 1801-05, followed by the 1813 seizure of the South Pacific island of Nukahiva as a military base. Washington proclaimed the “Monroe Doctrine” (1823) to deter European powers from intervening in the Americas, and eventually to justify its own interventions in Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia and many other countries. Territorial expansion later in the century included the seizure of the Hawaiian Island chain (1893) and the conquest of Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines in the Spanish-American War (1898).
The United States did not create a colonial empire of the type established by France and Britain. Still, over the years, it has often used its overwhelming military power. Though Washington regularly deploys “soft power” through economic and diplomatic pressure, it has rarely hesitated to employ military and paramilitary means, as is clear in dozens of cases including Korea, Indochina, Afghanistan and Iraq. The US now maintains hundreds of overseas bases, even in large and wealthy countries like the UK, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Japan. Washington has used many justifications over the years for its heavy emphasis on military means. In the period 1946-89, much was explained by reference to the “Cold War” whereas more recently the “war on terrorism” has pride of place. Today, with unparalleled naval and air forces, the US possesses a unique capacity to act militarily anywhere in the world, so as to forcefully pursue interests and to affirm what US military planners explicitly call “full spectrum dominance.”
Also See GPF's Pages on:
Empire?
US Interventions – 1798-Present (December 2005)
This timeline lists US military and clandestine interventions abroad from 1798. The list does not pretend to be definitive or absolutely complete. It does, however, demonstrate that the US has engaged in military operations worldwide for political and economic reasons for more than two centuries. (Global Policy Forum)
General Analysis
General Analysis on US Military Expansion and Intervention
This section covers US troops and bases, military policy and military allies, foreign overt and covert involvement, and general threats and events of US military intervention throughout the world.
Latin America and Caribbean
General Analysis on Latin America and Caribbean
This page covers US military expansion and intervention in Latin America and the Carribbean.Cuba
This page posts materials about the US relationship with Cuba, including the US sanctions against the country.Haiti
This page examines the US role in Haiti and includes information about the cessation of economic and humanitarian aid to the country.Venezuela
This page provides articles and papers on the threat of US military intervention in Venezuela.
Asia
General Analysis on Asia
This page covers US military expansion and intervention in Asia.North Korea
This page contains materials on US threats and justifications for intervention, and the rising tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
Middle East and Central Asia
General Analysis on the Middle East and Central Asia
This page covers US military expansion and intervention in the Middle East and Central Asia.Afghanistan
This page provides information about the US military presence in Afghanistan and the work of UN agencies in the country.Iran
Articles in this section cover the historical aspects of foreign intervention in Iran, oil and economic interests, sanctions on Iran, and general threats against Iran--mainly from the US.Iraq
This section provides links and articles on the build-up, invasion and current occupation of Iraq, as well as details about oil interests, politics under occupation, and the many wars and interventions that have shaped Iraq's modern history.Syria
This page follows past US involvement and current threats of intervention in Syria.
Africa
General Analysis on Africa
This page covers US military expansion and intervention in Africa.
