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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.resumen-english.org/2022/01/21st-century-us-coups-and-attempted-coups-in-latin-america/">resumen-english.org</a>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">21st Century US Coups and Attempted Coups in Latin America</h1>By Stansfield Smith on January 6, 2022</div><div class="gmail-content"><div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div id="gmail-wrapper2">
<p><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.resumen-english.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/1-7-lat-am-stan-img.jpg?resize=300%2C182&ssl=1" alt="" width="300" height="182"><br></p><p>During
the 21st century, the US, working with corporate elites, traditional
oligarchies, military, and corporate media, has continually attempted
coups against Latin American governments which place the needs of their
people over US corporate interests. US organized coups in Latin American
countries is hardly a 20th century phenomenon.<span id="gmail-more-19363"></span></p>
<p>However, this century the US rulers have turned to a new coup
strategy, relying on soft coups, a significant change from the
notoriously brutal military hard coups in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and
other countries in the 1970s. One central US concern in these new coups
has been to maintain a legal and democratic facade as much as possible.</p>
<p>The US superpower recognizes successful soft coups depend on
mobilizing popular forces in anti-government marches and protests. Gene
Sharp style color revolutions are heavily funded by US and European
NGOs, such as USAID, NED, National Democratic Institute, International
Republican Institute, Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation, and
others. They make use of organizations professing “human rights” (such
as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International), local dissident
organizations, and increasingly, liberal-left media (even Democracy Now)
to prepare the groundwork.</p>
<p>US regime change operations have found three mechanisms this century
that have been tremendously successful. First, economic warfare on a
country, through sanctions and outright blockades, creates rising
discontent against the targeted government. Second, increasing use of
corporate media and social media to spread disinformation (often around
“human rights,” “democracy,” “freedom,” or “corruption”) to foment mass
movements against leaders that prioritize their nation’s development
over US financial interests. This heavily relies on CIA social media
operations to blanket a country with disinformation. Third, lawfare,
using the appearance of democratic legality to bring down those
defending their country’s national sovereignty. Related to lawfare are
the electoral coups in countries such as Haiti, Honduras, and Brazil,
where the US engineers or helps to engineer a coup by stealing the
election.</p>
<p>Many of the attempted coups failed because the people mobilized to
defend their governments, and because of crucial and timely solidarity
declarations in defense of these governments by the Latin American
bodies of the OAS, UNASUR, and the Rio Group. Today, the Rio Group no
longer exists, UNASUR is much weakened, and the OAS is now fully under
US control.</p>
<p>US Backed Coups and Attempted Coups</p>
<p><strong>2001 Haiti</strong>. Haitian paramilitaries based in the
Dominican Republic launched an attack on the National Palace, seat of
the government of President Aristide. The attack failed, but until 2004,
similar to the 1980s Nicaraguan contras, these paramilitaries launched
numerous raids into Haiti, and played a key role leading to the 2004
coup perpetrated directly by US troops.</p>
<p><strong>2002 Venezuela</strong>. The US government partially funded and backed the short-lived April 11-14 coup against Hugo Chavez.</p>
<p>2002-3 Venezuela. Management of the state oil company PDVSA organized
an “oil strike,” actually a lockout of the oil workers, to drive Hugo
Chavez out of power. This again failed in early 2003.</p>
<p><strong>2003 Cuba</strong>. In the lead up to the March 2003 US
invasion of Iraq, John Bolton claimed Cuba was a state sponsor of
terrorism, producing biological weapons for terrorist purposes, just as
Saddam’s Iraq was falsely claimed to have weapons of mass destruction
(WMDs). During this period, the US increased its anti-Cuba propaganda
directed at the country and increased funding to “pro-democracy” groups
in Cuba, while anti-Cuban right-wing groups escalated their activities.
The US paid “dissident” groups to organize protests and disruptions,
including hijacking seven boats and airplanes to reach the US where they
were never prosecuted. The goal was to create the appearance of
disorder in Cuba, which, combined with its alleged biological WMDs,
demanded an international intervention to restore order. Cuba squashed
this movement in spring 2003.</p>
<p><strong>2004 Haiti</strong>. In an early 20th century style US coup,
US troops invaded Haiti, kidnapped President Jean Bertrande Aristide and
exiled him to the Central African Republic.</p>
<p><strong>2008 Bolivia</strong>. The Media Luna attempted coup involved
right-wing leaders and some indigenous groups from Bolivia’s lowlands
financed by the US. They sought to separate the richer Media Luna region
from the rest of the country. In the process, they killed 20 supporters
of President Evo Morales. Juan Ramon Quintana of the Bolivian
government reported that between 2007-2015, the NED gave $10 million in
funding to some 40 institutions including economic and social centers,
foundations and NGOs. US embassy cables showed it sought to turn social
and indigenous movements against the Evo Morales government.</p>
<p><strong>2009 Honduras</strong>. Honduran military forces, under
orders from the US, seized President Manuel Zelaya, brought him to the
US military base at Palmerola, then exiled him to Costa Rica. This began
an era of brutal neoliberal narco-trafficking regimes that ended in
2021 with the landslide election of Xiomara Castro, Zelaya’s wife.</p>
<p><strong>2010 Ecuador</strong>. In September a failed coup against
President Rafael Correa by military and police units backed by the
indigenous organizations CONAIE and Pachakutik. The US had infiltrated
the police and armed forces, while the NED and USAID funded these
indigenous organizations.</p>
<p><strong>2011 Haiti</strong>. Following the Haiti earthquake in 2010
that killed 200,000, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton imposed Michel
Martelly as president after threatening to cut off US aid to Haiti.
Clinton flew to Haiti to demand that Martelly be named one of the two
runoff candidates, although Martelly was not recognized by the Electoral
Council as one of the qualifiers. Despite a voter boycott, with fewer
than 20% of the electorate voting, Martelly was announced the winner of
the “runoff.” One reason why most Haitians boycotted was that the most
popular political party in the country, Fanmi Lavalas, the party of
former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was excluded from the ballot.
The Haiti elections were funded by USAID, Canada, the OAS, the European
Union and other foreign bodies.</p>
<p><strong>2012 Paraguay.</strong> President Fernando Lugo was
scapegoated for a land occupation confrontation between campesinos and
the police, which led to 17 deaths. President Lugo was removed from
office without a chance to defend himself in a lawfare coup.</p>
<p><strong>2013 Venezuela</strong>. After the April election that
Nicolas Maduro narrowly won, Henrique Capriles, the US-supported loser,
claimed the election was stolen and called his supporters out into the
streets in violent protests. Due to the strength of the UNASUR countries
at the time, the US could not convince other countries to also reject
Maduro’s victory.</p>
<p><strong>2014 Venezuela</strong>. “La Salida”(The Exit), led by
Leopoldo Lopez and Maria Corina Machado, resulted in 43 deaths, and
aimed to drive President Maduro from power. Again, the US could not get
other Latin American governments to denounce Maduro, either in UNASUR or
in the OAS.</p>
<p><strong>2015 Ecuador</strong>. Between 2012-2015, $30 million from
NED went to political parties, trade unions, dissident movements, and
media. In 2013 alone, USAID and NED spent $24 million in Ecuador. This
paid off in 2015 when CONAIE, which thanked USAID for its funding,
called for an indigenous-led uprising. They began with marches in early
August and concluded in Quito for an uprising and general strike on
August 10. The attempted coup failed.</p>
<p><strong>2015 Haiti</strong>. A new electoral coup for the presidency
was funded by the US to the tune of $30 million. Both the US and the
OAS refused Haitians’ demands to invalidate the election. The police
attacked Supporters of opposition parties were shot with live and rubber
bullets, killing many. President Michel Martelly’s chosen successor
Jovenel Moise became president.</p>
<p><strong>2015 Guatemala.</strong> The US engineered a coup against right-wing President Otto Perez Molina because he was not sufficiently subservient.</p>
<p><strong>2015 Argentina</strong>. Argentine prosecutor Alber Nisman
was evidently murdered days after he made bogus criminal charges against
President Cristina Fernandez, claiming she was involved in the 1994
bombing of a Jewish community center. This was used to create a scandal,
unseat her, and bring neoliberals back to power. Neoliberal forces and
media used the case to disrupt the Kirchner coalition from winning
another presidential election.</p>
<p><strong>2015-2019 El Salvador</strong>. El Salvador’s right-wing
opposition backed by the US sought to destabilize the government of
President Salvador Sánchez Cerén of the Farabundo Martí National
Liberation Front (FMLN). The conservative mass media launched a smear
campaign against the administration, in concert with a surge in
gang-driven homicides that the police chief said was part of a campaign
to drive up body counts and remove the FMLN government. Sanchez Cerén
and other former officials who were members of the FMLN later became
targets of lawfare, “a strategy used in recent years by conservative
groups in power to try to demobilize the organization and resistance of
the peoples against neoliberalism and other forms of domination.”</p>
<p><strong>2016 Brazil</strong>. US-backed right-wing movements launched
a campaign against President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers Party for
“corruption.” Aided by the corporate media, they organized a series of
protests in Brazil’s largest cities throughout 2015. In March 2016, a
massive political demonstration brought together more than 500,000
people in support of impeaching President Rousseff. She was finally
impeached by Congress and removed from office in a successful lawfare
coup.</p>
<p><strong>2017 Venezuela.</strong> Violent protests (guarimbas), led by
Leopoldo Lopez, sought to oust President Maduro, with 126 fatalities.
The guarimbas ended after the elections for the National Constituent
Assembly.</p>
<p><strong>2017 Honduras.</strong> The US supported an electoral coup by
President Juan Orlando Hernández involving widespread electoral fraud
and government killing of dozens in protests. The US quickly recognized
him as president and pressured other countries to do so also, even
though the OAS itself had called for a new election.</p>
<p><strong>2018 Nicaragua</strong>. US-backed violent protests,
supported by anti-FSLN media and social media disinformation campaigns,
sought to remove President Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas from power.
After two months, public sentiment turned strongly against the violent
protests and they disintegrated.</p>
<p><strong>2018 Brazil</strong>. Former President Lula de Silva was the
leading candidate to win the presidential election, but was imprisoned
due to a lawfare operation of the US and Brazil’s right-wing, using
bogus corruption charges. Bolsonario won the election, aided by a
large-scale fake news operation which sent out hundreds of millions of
WhatsApp messages to Brazilian voters.</p>
<p><strong>2019 Venezuela</strong>. In January, Juan Guaido declared
himself president of Venezuela after US Vice President Pence assured him
of US recognition. On April 30, the Guaido-Leopoldo Lopez’ planned
uprising outside an air force base flopped. Later, a mercenary attack
from Colombia failed to seize President Maduro in the presidential
palace.</p>
<p><strong>2019 Bolivia</strong>. The US engineered a coup against Evo
Morales, in part by using a social media campaign to make the false
claim he stole the election. The OAS played a key role in legitimizing
the coup. The disastrous coup government of Jeanine Anez lasted for just
over one year.</p>
<p><strong>2021 Cuba</strong>. The US orchestrated and funded protests
against the Cuban government in July and November. The US sought to
build a new generation of counter-revolutionary leadership by creating
new “independent” press and social media platforms. These failed more
miserably than the 2003 protests.</p>
<p><strong>2021 Bolivia</strong>. In October, the right-wing tried to
organize a coup and general strike, demanding the release of former
President Anez who was now imprisoned. The attempt was only successful
in Santa Cruz, the center of the Media Luna. Later, mass organizations
led a rally, encompassing 1.5 million, to the capital to defend the MAS
government.</p>
<p><strong>2021 Peru.</strong> The right-wing oligarchy used lawfare
unsuccessfully to unseat new President Castillo, a leader who emerged
from the popular indigenous movement, seeking to remove him for being
“permanently morally incapable.” However, a new lawfare case has been
brought against President Castillo concerning “corruption.”</p>
<p><strong>2021 Nicaragua.</strong> The US planned to repeat the 2018
Nicaragua protests, combined with a concocted campaign that the Daniel
Ortega government had imprisoned US-financed opposition “pre-candidates”
before the presidential election. This coup attempt failed but the US
and OAS refused to recognize the election results.</p>
<p>In 2022 we can expect the US to continue “regime change” operations
against Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, and now Chile with
the election of progressive President Boric.</p>
<p>This list of 27 US-backed coups and attempted coups in the first 21
years of this century may be incomplete. For instance, not included are
the lawfare frame-ups directed by Ecuador’s former President Lenin
Moreno, a US puppet, against former Vice President Jorge Glas, who is
now imprisoned, nor against former President Rafael Correa, now in
exile.</p>
<p>This listing of US coups and attempted coups is also misleading. As
throughout the 20th century, the US daily, not periodically, interferes
in what it considers its colonies to both impose neocolonial regimes and
maintain those regimes which open their markets to the US without
conditions and align themselves with US foreign policy.</p>
<p>Under the facade of “democracy promotion” Washington works to advance
the exact opposite goal: foment coups against democratic and popular
governments. Governments and leaders that stand up for their people and
their national rights are the very targets of “democracy promotion”
coups.</p>
<p>Present day US reliance on soft coup operations involves funding not
only NGOs and right-wing groups in the targeted countries for training
in Gene Sharp style “democracy promotion” programs. Many liberal and
liberal-left alternative media and NGOs in the US now receive corporate
funding, which pushes their political outlook in a more pro-imperialist
direction. This is well-illustrated in the soft coup attempts against
Evo’s Bolivia and Rafael Correa’s Ecuador. These NGOs and alternative
media give a false humanitarian face to imperialist intervention.</p>
<p>Moreover, these regime change operations are now openly being used at
home against the US people. This is seen in the confusion and political
divisions in the US population, manufactured by the 2016 Hillary
Clinton Russiagate disinformation campaign against Trump and the Trump
2020 stolen election disinformation campaign against the Democrats. For
those of us opposed to US interventionism, we are called upon to expose
these new sophisticated methods of soft coup interference, to demand the
national sovereignty of other nations be respected, and to bring
together the US people against this manipulation by the corporate
rulers.</p>
<p><strong><em>Stansfield Smith</em></strong>, Chicago ALBA Solidarity,
is a long time Latin America solidarity activist, and presently puts out
the AFGJ Venezuela Weekly. He is also the Senior Research Fellow at the
Council on Hemispheric Affairs.</p>
<p><a href="https://dissidentvoice.org/2022/01/21st-century-us-coups-and-attempted-coups-in-latin-america/">Source: Dissident Voice</a></p>
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