6 ms·
Great comment, but I’m not sure what events you’re referring to when you say: > American companies have overthrown governments to benefit their business Care
by TimTheTinker 8y ago
Great comment, but I’m not sure what events you’re referring to when you say:
> American companies have overthrown governments to benefit their business
Care to elaborate?
- mikeytown2 8y agoIran in the 1950s
- dboreham 8y agoNot the parent but this example comes to mind : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9ta... (A British multinational company, but US did the overthrowing)
- TomVDB 8y agoMy immediate reaction would be the United Fruit Company and it’s dealings in South America. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Fruit_Company https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Fruit_Company But I’m sure you can find instances where oil companies heavily influence politics in governments all over the world.
- nope96 8y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doe_v._Chiquita_Brands_International https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doe_v._Chiquita_Brands_Interna...
- achow 8y agoI didn't know it was this many https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_r...
- rmetzler 8y agoPhilip Agee wrote about what the CIAs modus operandi was in "Inside the Company: CIA Diary" and his later books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Agee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Agee
- workthrowawayn 8y agoUnited Fruit Company is the origin of the phrase "Banana Republic" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic
- TaylorAlexander 8y agoIt’s so upsetting to me that there’s a clothing store with that name. It seems like it’s mocking the people whose countries have been overthrown for someone’s profit. This from a store that sells clothes made by people who could never afford them.
- loggedinmyphone 8y agoHow do you feel about Disneyland making a ride out of Pirates of the Caribbean?
- colechristensen 8y agoThe United Fruit Company lobbied successfully for the overthrow the Guatemalan government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d%27%C3%A... CIA plans and arranges Iranian overthrow of PM (along with UK) over interference with a predecessor to BP (concisely detailing who owned what is hard) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9ta...
- TimTheTinker 8y agoWow, I hadn’t heard of that - pretty horrible stuff. Thanks for the info.
- ubernostrum 8y agoI'm not trying to be mean here, but: you never wondered why so many people in Iran hated the US enough to call it the "Great Satan"? I know we've had a generation or so of leaders over here who just prattle on about "they hate us for our freedom", but I'm kind of boggled by the idea that people don't get curious and wonder what really set off the level of virulent hatred of the US (and European powers) that existed and still exists in various parts of the world. So much of the turmoil and violence around the world today is fallout from meddling by western powers over the last couple centuries. Want to understand the modern middle east? Got to dig into the US overthrow of Iran's government, the background of the British rise to prominence (WWI and the Sykes-Picot agreement), etc. Want to understand trouble in just about any part of Africa? Dig back to what the European colonizers did to the place, and hoo boy wait till you learn the truth about Belgium. You really cannot even begin to pretend to have a hint of a grasp on modern world politics and conflicts without understanding this stuff.
- Alex3917 8y agoOr, more relevantly, why immigrants from Guatemala and Honduras are increasingly coming to the U.S.
- 8y ago
- an_account_name 8y agoThe United Fruit Company comes to mind.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- simtel20 8y agoThe first example that comes to mind is the influence of United Fruit in Central and South American military policy in the last century. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Wars https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Wars for instance.
- ghufran_syed 8y agoPepsi Cola & Chile https://www.theguardian.com/business/1998/nov/08/observerbusiness.theobserver https://www.theguardian.com/business/1998/nov/08/observerbus...
- geofft 8y agoThis is how Hawaii went from an independent kingdom trading with the US to a territory (and then a state). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Kingdom_of_Ha...
- bsenftner 8y agoThere's a CIA guy who had a career setting up governments, and he published his diary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit...
- locusm 8y agoThat's China's playbook now in the South Pacific. Lots of expensive infrastructure and hundreds of millions in loans to Countries that don't need it.
- forapurpose 8y agoMuch of U.S. Mideast activity is aimed at securing the oil supply. There is another, very serious reason for those actions (I'm not saying it justifies them): Securing the world's energy supply, without which the world economy would stumble and fall. But the activities also benefit U.S. oil companies, and who can say what is necessary for which purpose. Also note that a former oil company CEO was U.S. Secretary of State until recently.
- gonvaled 8y agoNot only american companies: the american government does it in a regular basis. Here is one example: https://www.facts-are-facts.com/news/iranian-oil-bourse https://www.facts-are-facts.com/news/iranian-oil-bourse It is not paranoia if they are really after you.
- rdm_blackhole 8y agoIf you read Noam Chomsky's "Who rules the world?", you will find plenty of examples of the USA overthrowing a government to bring "peace and prosperity". It's pretty common actually.
- mmjaa 8y agoIt is precisely because we cannot trust the US government, that those of us still living outside of the purview of the 5-eyes nations are utterly unwilling to put up with the heinous powers granted the NSA, which services its 'customers' with near-impunity and utter lack of civil oversight. If you thought UFC is bad (it was) and if it is the only example you know, consider what the NSA is currently capable of doing, with regards to corporate espionage, and who it works for ...
- loggedinmyphone 8y agoAn interesting case is the US driving Colombia out of Panama when the Colombian senate refused to approve the Panama Canal. The war is considered to have been engineered by the New Panama Canal Company including Bunau-Varilla and William Nelson Cromwell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Bunau-Varilla#Separation_of_Panama_from_Colombia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Bunau-Varilla#Separat... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/628408.How_Wall_Street_Created_a_Nation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/628408.How_Wall_Street_C...
- janimo 8y agoKilling Hope and Overthrow are two books on the subject.