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AMERICAN BETRAYAL

"My country will be faithful to the letter and to the spirit of the law," said President Truman in Mexico City in 1947. It turned out America was neither. We must remember that this was the era of the beginning of the Cold War. America was determined to lead the world. This was not only politically. It was also economically. The African experience was being colonized by Western nations. Their manpower was used as cheap labor. Their minerals and other products went to enrich Europe. Even as more African states gained independence, they were now ruled by Western-style dictators. But, Africa was not alone as a target in Western sights. America was interested in Iran. It had oil. It was close to Russia. And, America was interested in Guatemala. The "Communist scare" now America from Russia as enemy to left-wing leaders in Central America. These two nations are proof of American betrayal of entire nations. American interference brought back the Shah. American interference caused the coup in Guatemala. America took sides.

First, Guatemala. To many, the Western hemisphere was seen as a series of American colonies. The Monroe Doctrine told Europe to stay away. It did not say that the United States could, or should, not interfere. The instability of Central American countries gave the United States a political as well as economic reason to interfere. The political reasons were because some governments were leftist. Economic, because American firms had big money tied up in these countries. Guatemala was to be proof that Central American republics could be stable, and no longer so-called "banana republics". "(T)he United States had to overcome its perceived and actual alliance with Central America's right if it was to play a constructive role in Guatemala's peace progress" (Schlesinger & Kinzer 199 xix). Peace on U.S. terms, of course. That meant making sure American companies were protected. America may have preached democracy, but...

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AMERICAN BETRAYAL. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:45, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1706379.html