Nearly all of Latin America’s crises have been shaped by the United States. In the 1980s, the US supported anti-communist forces in Nicaragua and the controversial strongman Manuel Noriega in Panama.
In the early 1980s, Panama avoided a civil war, but a shadowy figure came to power: Manuel Noriega, a long-time CIA agent and protégé of the United States. His main opponent, guerrilla leader Hugo Spadafora, accused Noriega of drug trafficking. In 1988, the US Department of Justice in Florida brought charges against Noriega, including for his links to Pablo Escobar's Medellín cartel. Noriega refused to step down, which led to the US invasion of Panama and his arrest.
In Nicaragua, the Sandinistas introduced sweeping reforms after coming to power in 1979. Fearing the spread of a socialist revolution in Central America, the United States armed counter-revolutionary militias known as the Contras. A brutal guerrilla war followed.
In Chile, ruler Augusto Pinochet faced growing opposition. In a 1988 referendum, the United States supported the democratic opposition through its ambassador, Harry Barnes. Pinochet was subsequently forced to step down.
But another crisis was already unfolding: in 1989, the economic crisis in Venezuela, a traditional ally of the United States, reached its peak. Unrest broke out and was violently suppressed by the army.
Part 1: https://youtu.be/UkZASVWnHmU
Part 2: https://youtu.be/IJ3zOE9V18I
Part 3: https://youtu.be/tweCup3tL04
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