American Military Interventions
William Blum, from his book "Rogue Nation"
of the 20th Century
Please be aware that this listing does not include many, many U.S. "interventions" where U.S. troops were not the primary force - such as the U.S. intervention in the Greek civil war during the 1950s - nor does it include the many, many U.S. nuclear threats that one might well consider a form of intervention - such as the U.S. nuclear threat during the '73 Arab-Israeli war - nor does it include many CIA organized war efforts, such as the long war against the leftist Angolan government which was waged by the U.S. and racist South Africa - nor does it include all the countries intervened/invaded by the U.S. in World War I and World War II.
But anyway, here's some food for thought. The listing is comprised of the Country/Date/type of intervention/and a few specifics:
PHILIPPINES/l898-1910(-?)/Naval, troops/Seized from Spain, U.S. troops kill 600,000 Filipinos.
CUBA/l898-1902(-?)/Naval, troops/Seized from Spain, U.S. still illegally holds Navy base there over Cuban objections.
PANAMA/1901-03(-?)/Naval, troops/Broke off from Colombia in a U.S. organized 'rebellion', U.S. annexes Canal Zone.
HONDURAS/l903/Troops/U.S. Marines intervene in revolution.
DOMINICAN REP./1903-04/Troops/U.S. business interests protected in Revolution.
KOREA/1904-05/Troops/U.S. Marines land in Russo-Japanese War.
CUBA/1906-09/Troops/U.S. Marines land in democratic election.
NICARAGUA/1907/Troops/"Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate (psuedo- colony) set up.
HONDURAS/l907/Troops/U.S. Marines land during war with Nicaragua.
PANAMA/l908/Troops/U.S. Marines intervene in election contest.
NICARAGUA/l9l0/Troops/U.S. Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto.
HONDURAS/1911/Troops/U.S. business interests protected in civil war.
CHINA/1911-41/Naval, troops/Continuous occupation with flare-ups
CUBA/1912/Troops/U.S. business interests protected in Havana.
PANAMA/l9l2/Troops/U.S. Marines land during heated election.
HONDURAS/l9l2/Troops/Marines protect U.S. economic interests.
NICARAGUA/1912-33/Troops, bombing/20-year occupation, fought guerrillas.
MEXICO/l9l3/Naval/Americans evacuated during revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/1914/Naval/Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo.
MEXICO/1914-18/Naval, troops/Series of interventions against Mexican nationalists.
HAITI/1914-34/Troops, bombing/19-year occupation after revolts.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/1916-24/Troops/8-year U.S. Marine occupation.
CUBA/1917-33/Troops/Military occupation, U.S. declares Cuba an economic protectorate (psuedo-colony).
USSR/1918-22/Naval, troops/Five landings to fight Bolsheviks in effort to overthrow the fledgling socialist government.
PANAMA/1918-20/Troops/"Police duty" during unrest after elections.
HONDURAS/l9l9/Troops/U.S. Marines land during election campaign.
GUATEMALA/1920/Troops/2-week intervention against unionists.
TURKEY/1922/Troops/U.S. fought nationalists in Smyrna.
CHINA/1922-27/Naval, troops/Deployment during nationalist revolt.
HONDURAS/1924-25/Troops/Landed twice during election strife.
PANAMA/1925/Troops/U.S. Marines suppress general strike.
CHINA/l928-34/Troops/U.S. Marines stationed throughout the country.
EL SALVADOR/l932/Naval/Warships sent during Marti revolt.
KOREA/l951-53(-?)/Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats/U.S.& South Korea fight China & North Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in l950, and against China in l953. China accuses U.S. of biological warfare. Still have bases.
IRAN/l953/Covert/CIA overthrows democratically elected socialist premier, installs Shah as dictator.
GUATEMALA/l954/Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat/CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalizes U.S. companies' lands; bombers based in Nicaragua.
LEBANON/l958/Troops, naval/U.S. Marine occupation against rebels.
PANAMA/1958/Troops/Flag protests erupt into confrontation.
VIETNAM/l960-75/Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats/Fought South Vietnamese revolt & North Vietnam during the Vietnamese civil war; over two million Vietnamese casualties in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in l968 and l969.
LAOS/1961/Covert/Military buildup during guerrilla war.
CUBA/l961/Covert/CIA-directed exile invasion fails.
PANAMA/l964/Troops/Panamanians shot for urging canal's return.
INDONESIA/l965/Covert/One million-plus killed in CIA-assisted army coup. CIA provides assassination lists to military, plus weapons.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/1965-66/Troops, bombing/U.S. Marines land during election campaign.
GUATEMALA/l966-67/Covert/Green Berets intervene against rebels.
CAMBODIA/l969-75/Bombing, troops, naval/Up to 2 million killed in decade during/after U.S. invasion of Cambodia and bombing, starvation, and political chaos.
OMAN/l970/Covert/U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion to intervene in Omani civil war.
LAOS/l971-73/Command operation, bombing/U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; "carpet-bombs" countryside.
CHILE/1973/Covert/CIA funds and backs coup ousts democratically-elected Marxist president and installs brutal military dictatorship.
CAMBODIA/l975/Troops, bombing/Intervenes to seize captured ship, 28 die in copter crash.
IRAN/l980/Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing/Raid to rescue Embassy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution.
LIBYA/l981/Naval jets/Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers.
EL SALVADOR/l981-?/Covert/U.S. mercenaries, military advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war.
NICARAGUA/l981-90/Covert, naval/CIA funds, trains, equips and directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution.
HONDURAS/l982-?/Troops/Maneuvers, help build bases near borders to intimidate Nicaragua.
LEBANON/l982-84/Naval, bombing, troops/Marines expel PLO and back Christian Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions.
GRENADA/l983-84/Troops, bombing/Invasion four years after socialist revolution. U.S. installs puppet government.
LIBYA/l986/Bombing, naval/Air strikes try to topple nationalist gov't.
BOLIVIA/1987/Troops/Coast Guard and Army assists raids on cocaine region.
IRAN/l987-88/Naval, bombing/US intervenes on side of Iraq in Gulf War.
LIBYA/1989/Naval jets/Two Libyan jets shot down.
PANAMA/1989-?/Troops, bombing/Nationalist government ousted by invasion. U.S. installs puppet government and refuses to hold new elections.
LIBERIA/1990-?/Troops/Foreigners evacuated during civil war; troops protect CIA communications/listening post.
SAUDI ARABIA/1990-?/Troops, jets/Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. Forces also in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.
IRAQ/1990-?/Naval, bombing, troops/Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports; large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.
KUWAIT/1991-?/Naval, bombing, troops/Attacks on Iraqi military; effort to return dictatorial royal family to throne.