4 ms·

What percentage of the instability in Africa and Latin America in the last 100 years, do you think that western countries caused?

woodruffw 5y ago
Here's a convenient map for just the US's involvement in Latin America[1]. African countries are harder to quantify due to the number of European powers involved, but I think it's safe to say that the majority of African countries experienced significant instability during the post-colonial period. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change_in_Latin_America#/media/File:US-involvement-regime-change-Lat-Am.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_r...
- edmcnulty101 5y ago
  That's an eye opening page. I wonder if the drug cartels destabilize the region more than United States interference or if the U.S. is more destabilizing? For example if you did a survey of the people of some of these countries that were destabilized if they think the United States or the drug cartels cause more problems for them. I wonder what they would say. My suspicions lean towards the drug cartels just reading about how they treat reporters and students and police.
  - woodruffw 5y ago
    The US, famously, funded many of the early drug cartels and trafficking networks in Latin America as part of its goal of destabilizing Latin American governments[1]. The even more extreme (and somewhat, but not completely, publicly substantiated) claim is that the USG used those illicit funding networks to additionally destabilize minority communities in the US by introducing heroin and "crack" cocaine. There is no "either/or" with US foreign meddling and drug cartels. They're two sides of the same foreign policy. Edit: The above focuses on Iran-Contra. Here's a link to broader allegations of drug trafficking/support for cartels in LatAm[2]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_involvement_in_Contra_cocaine_trafficking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_involvement_in_Contra_coca... [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_CIA_drug_trafficking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_CIA_drug_traffi...
    - edmcnulty101 5y ago
      You're using isolated incidents from the 60 and 80's to claim the U.S. is responsible for the entire modern multi billion dollar international drug trade? So to be clear. The blame is on the U.S. for the entire drug trade. The blame is on the west for colonialism causing African countries problems in modern times. The blame is on racial repression for minority groups problems in the U.S. The trend seems to be that minority groups are at complete mercy of western repression.

woodruffw 5y ago

Here's a convenient map for just the US's involvement in Latin America[1]. African countries are harder to quantify due to the number of European powers involved, but I think it's safe to say that the majority of African countries experienced significant instability during the post-colonial period. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change_in_Latin_America#/media/File:US-involvement-regime-change-Lat-Am.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_r...

edmcnulty101 5y ago
That's an eye opening page. I wonder if the drug cartels destabilize the region more than United States interference or if the U.S. is more destabilizing? For example if you did a survey of the people of some of these countries that were destabilized if they think the United States or the drug cartels cause more problems for them. I wonder what they would say. My suspicions lean towards the drug cartels just reading about how they treat reporters and students and police.
- woodruffw 5y ago
  The US, famously, funded many of the early drug cartels and trafficking networks in Latin America as part of its goal of destabilizing Latin American governments[1]. The even more extreme (and somewhat, but not completely, publicly substantiated) claim is that the USG used those illicit funding networks to additionally destabilize minority communities in the US by introducing heroin and "crack" cocaine. There is no "either/or" with US foreign meddling and drug cartels. They're two sides of the same foreign policy. Edit: The above focuses on Iran-Contra. Here's a link to broader allegations of drug trafficking/support for cartels in LatAm[2]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_involvement_in_Contra_cocaine_trafficking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_involvement_in_Contra_coca... [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_CIA_drug_trafficking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_CIA_drug_traffi...
  - edmcnulty101 5y ago
    You're using isolated incidents from the 60 and 80's to claim the U.S. is responsible for the entire modern multi billion dollar international drug trade? So to be clear. The blame is on the U.S. for the entire drug trade. The blame is on the west for colonialism causing African countries problems in modern times. The blame is on racial repression for minority groups problems in the U.S. The trend seems to be that minority groups are at complete mercy of western repression.