American presidents often establish foreign policies that effect the country’s citizens oversees and in America. The Invasion of Panama was part of the restoration of America’s military prestige, after years of misgivings. The Panama Invasion was the extension of the domestic plans for a Drug-Free America (US II. 33). Lastly, the Invasion of Panama is an example of presidential foreign policies that involve America in foreign affairs.
The Panama Invasion was a conflict that was the beginning to better decision-making, but had faults of its own, that followed through to the Persian-Gulf War of 1991. It started with the decision to invade Grenada; President Reagan’s ability to “react quickly and convincingly to a perceived threat to regional stability” (Decision-Making) was key to the re-buildup of the American military prestige. Unfortunately this decision had caught the U.S “off-guard, as there were no plans for such on there were not even adequate maps upon which to base the most rudimentary reconnaissance” (Decision-Making). With the spontaneousness of Grenada, U.S decision makers were expected to react quickly and effectively. The decision makers had planned for complications but problems arose which they did not expect. The communication between the three services: army, navy, and air force, were not compatible, causing decision makers to a have a lack of consistent and instant knowledge of the operations. When the time came for the Panama Invasion came around, the preparedness was far better, even though it was primarily a “one-service operation conducted by the army” (Decision-Making).The most elusive aspect for planners was the enemy, Manuel Noriega. The primary purpose of the invasion was to remove President Manuel Nori...
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... Intelligence and Security. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 312-315. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. http://ic.galegroup.com:80/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=UHIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3403300213&userGroupName=mlin_s_hullhs&jsid=2be90fb974b37f6aca36a57ec3c49ff7
4. "Operation Just Cause Pamphlet." American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia Rose. Vol. 9: 1980-1989. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 278-281. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. http://ic.galegroup.com:80/ic/uhic/PrimarySourcesDetailsPage/PrimarySourcesDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=PrimarySources&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=UHIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3490201716&userGroupName=mlin_s_hullhs&jsid=68dd910f93f1958acb34cbec8722593c
Keegan, J. (2003). Local Knowledge: Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley. Intelligence in war: knowledge of the enemy from Napoleon to al-Qaeda (pp. 66 - 98). New York: Knopf.
...et al. Vol. 4: Primary Sources. Detroit: UXL, 2006. 146-161. U.S. History in Context. Print. 17 Nov. 2013.
Guilford, CT: Dushkin/ McGraw-Hill, 1997. Chiatkin, Anton. A. Treason in America. Washington DC: Executive Intelligence. Review, a review of the book, Divine, Breen, Frederickson, and Williams. America Past and Present.
After nearly 40 years, the Bay of Pigs remains the largest mistake made by United States officials. Bibliography The “Bay of Blunders.” Savannah Now. 1998. The. 10 April 2000 Crassweller, Robert D. Cuba and the U.S.:
...es when it comes to implementing controversial foreign policy decisions that directly affect Americans and those in different countries. The main aspect of the affair that greatly influences the United States’ government is ensuring that its past imperialistic motives do not become an integral part of American affairs once again.
In times of great terror and panic, the citizens of a nation must decide what they value most: their right to privacy or the lives of the innocent. Government surveillance is criticized, however there are times in a nation’s history where, in order to ensure the safety of their citizens, they must surveill the country for potential hazards that might exist in the world. The government-issued program, COINTELPRO--a series of illegal projects during the twentieth century organized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation--while heavily criticized for its unconstitutional grounds--was justified because it benefitted the nation during a period of upheaval. COINTELPRO is popularly condemned by historians and professors such as Brandeis University Professor of Sociology, David Cunningham, who asserts that the FBI counterintelligence program was only a form of repression that allowed for the government to suppress matters that they consider bothersome (234) This however was not the case. COINTELPRO was necessary because of the great social unrest, individuals posed threats to society, and creating operations that were beneficial to the United States.
For the American intelligence community, George Washington is considered the father of intelligence. The introduction of the intelligence concept and its application in some missions during the early days of America helped America’s Founding Fathers to succeed against t...
Sulick, Michael J.. Spying in America espionage from the Revolutionary War to the dawn of the Cold War., Georgetown University Press, 2012
Kathryn S. Olmsted, author of the book, Real Enemies, is an accomplished historian. Olmsted currently is head of the history department at UC Davis. She has been teaching at UC Davis since 2003, and a lecturer at UC Davis from 1993-2001 (Department of History). Kathryn S. Olmsted also has a wide background of educational studies; a Bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford University, Master’s degree in history from UC Davis, and she received her Ph.D. in history from UC Davis (Department of History). Olmsted has written several articles for many well-respected publications; the topics have consistently been the history of the United States and its government’s secrets (Department of History). Real Enemies is her third book discussing conspiracies in U.S. history. Other books she has wr...
The History of the Panama Canal The Panama Canal is called the big ditch, the bridge between two continents, and the greatest shortcut in the world. When it was finally finished in 1914, the 51-mile waterway cut off over 7,900 miles of the distance between New York and San Francisco, and changed the face of the industrialized world ("Panama Canal"). This Canal is not the longest, the widest, the deepest, or the oldest canal in the world, but it is the only canal to connect two oceans, and still today is the greatest man-made waterway in the world ("Panama Canal Connects). Ferdinand de Lesseps, who played a large role in building the Suez Canal in 1869 (Jones), was the director of the Compagnie Universelle Du Canal Interoceanique de Panama ("Historical Overview").
The major strengths of Theodore Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy lied in his eager and energetic global action, his desire to involve the United States in global politics, as well as in his belief in his Big Stick diplomacy. Roosevelt’s naval intervention in Panama, which led to successful retaliation against Colombian government, allowed for the construction the Panama Canal previously stymied by a lack of cooperation on the part of Colombia. The Canal uncovered a new and valuable trade route, linking the Pacific to the Atlantic, and stimulating economic growth for both the United States as well as other countries.
Kross, Peter. The. The “George Washington: America’s First Spy Master”. Military Intelligence, Jan-Mar 1991, Vol. 17, Issue 1, p. 6.
?Espionage.? 2000-2004. The War to End All Wars. Michael Duffy. Original Material. Primary Documents Online.
Although the invasion of Grenada was a success, there were problems with the commander’s intent. Since the contingency operation had a very short planning timeline, it appears elements of the commander’s intent were not clear. During the planning process, Atlantic Command (LANTCOM) was unable to design a suitable concept for the joint operation. Stewart postulated that the Command was neither trained nor manned to mount this type of operation as the Command’s main focus was to reinforce Europe after a Soviet attack.
The tropical island of Cuba had been an object of empire for the United States. Before the Missile Crisis, the relationship between Castro and the US were strained by the Bay of Pigs occurrence in 1961. This was where counterrevolutionary Cubans were American funded and tried to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. However, the counterrevolutionaries failed. Castro then found an alliance with the Soviet Union and an increase of distrust that Castro had on the US. On January 18, 1962, the United States’ Operation Mongoose was learned. The objective would be “to help the Cubans overthrow the Communist regime” so that the US could live in peace. Consequently, Castro informed the Soviet Union that they were worried about a direct invasion on Cuba, thus longed for protection against th...