MAP 30.2 U.S. Involvement in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1954–2000
Ever since the Monroe Doctrine (1823), the United States has claimed a special interest in Latin America. During the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy throughout Latin America focused on containing instability and the appeal of communism in a region plagued by poverty and military dictatorships. Providing foreign aid was one approach to addressing social and economic needs, but the United States frequently intervened with military forces (or by supporting military coups) to remove unfriendly or socialist governments. The Reagan administration’s support of the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, some of which was contrary to U.S. law, was one of those interventions.