Difference between revisions of "US/Bombing campaigns since 1945"

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(See also US Sponsored Regime-change efforts since 1945 and US Foreign Assassinations since 1945.)
 
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'''Countries the US has bombed since 1945''' is in fact only the most memorable part of the listings that show violent interference by the United States of America in the affairs of other countries. In practice, US led assassinations, overthrows of legitimate government and interference with elections may be just as damaging, these are also listed here.
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''See also [[US Sponsored Regime-change efforts since 1945]] and [[US Foreign Assassinations since 1945]].''
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{{concept
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|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_military_operations
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|description=
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|start=1945
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|image=US Bombings since 1945.jpg
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|image_width=440px
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|constitutes=Foreign policy of the United States, US intervention
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|description=List of countries the US has bombed from the air since 1945.
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}}
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This is a list of '''countries the US has bombed since 1945'''. This is in fact only the most visible aspect of [[US Intervention]] abroad. In practice, [[US Foreign Assassinations since 1945‎|US led assassinations]] and [[US Efforts to Suppress Democracy since 1945|overthrows of legitimate governments and interference with elections]] may be just as significant as the actual bombings listed here.
  
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''This article is intended as an adjunct to two Wikipedia articles, being the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_military_operations Timeline of United States military operations] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_United_States_foreign_regime_change_actions US Regime-change actions] (formerly entitled "Covert US foreign regime change actions"). There is a great deal of bias in many parts of the Wikipedia articles, and the detail overwhelms the picture. There are no useful "summaries" or totals of the interventions and articles confusingly put the earlier interventions (going right back to 1776) at the top of the page. This article aims to be even-handed, clearer and more relevant.
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==Official narrative==
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This article was intended as an adjunct to two Wikipedia articles, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_military_operations Timeline of United States military operations] (which is extremely long as uses rather [[bias]]ed language) and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_United_States_foreign_regime_change_actions Covert US foreign regime change actions] (deleted in April 2016, but the original content is still available [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Covert_United_States_foreign_regime_change_actions&oldid=716626033 here]). Both articles (one of which is rated as of 'low importance') are unclear, lack useful summaries and have big gaps. There was no mention, for example, of the successful World Court action by Nicaragua against the US). The talk page confirm the difficulty faced by editors attempting to restore objectivity to the page in the face of a bevy of editors beholden to the US-sponsored {{on}}.
  
 
==Countries the US has bombed since the end of World War 2==
 
==Countries the US has bombed since the end of World War 2==
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The US is said to have carried out 32 distinct and separate bombing campaigns on 24 different countries between 1945 and 1999.<ref name=bluminterventions>[http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/US_Interventions_WBlumZ.html A Brief History of U.S. Interventions] 1945 to the Present by William Blum - Z magazine, June 1999.</ref> However, the listing below includes later operations as well. In most cases, bombings with aircraft cannot be denied, though in some cases this has been attempted.<br>  
 
The US is said to have carried out 32 distinct and separate bombing campaigns on 24 different countries between 1945 and 1999.<ref name=bluminterventions>[http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/US_Interventions_WBlumZ.html A Brief History of U.S. Interventions] 1945 to the Present by William Blum - Z magazine, June 1999.</ref> However, the listing below includes later operations as well. In most cases, bombings with aircraft cannot be denied, though in some cases this has been attempted.<br>  
  
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
 
|-
 
|-
−
! align="left" width="10%"|<big>'''Date'''</big> !! <big>'''Country'''</big> !! Details !! Disputed?  
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! align="left" width="6%"|<big>'''Date'''</big> !! <big>'''Country'''</big> !! Details !! Disputed?  
 
|-
 
|-
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| 2011 || [[:Category:Libya|Libya]] || Early US attacks under UNSC 1973 are followed by NATO attacks leading to regime change and death of Ghadaffi. || No
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| 2014 -<br>present || [[Iraq]] and [[Syria]] || Said to be against [[ISIS]] with [[Document:Staged ISIS Videos are the Plot of Iron Man 3|alleged beheadings]] as the primary casus belli || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 2003 -<br> 2011 ||[[:Category:Iraq|Iraq]] || Regime change against Saddam Hussein, an ally who had gone rogue. By all accounts, US Ambassador in Baghdad, April Glaspie, gave Saddam the green light to invade Kuwait in August 1990. She was totally silent on everything until her retirement in 2002 and has not spoken since.<ref>[http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11376.htm Is the US State Department still keeping April Glaspie under wraps?] Information Clearing House 12/25/2005.</ref> || No
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| 2011 -<br>present || [[Somalia]] || Ongoing drone strikes || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 2001 -<br> present || [[:Category:Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] || Regime change under the guise of trying to catch Osama Bin Laden. || No
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| 2011 || [[Libya]] || Early US attacks under UNSC 1973 were followed by NATO's “Operation Unified Protector”, leading to regime change and death of Gaddafi. || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1999 || [[:Category:Serbia|Yugoslavia - Serbia]] || Allegedly to stop an ethnic cleansing that had begun or might begin. Targetted television stations and bombed the Chinese Embassy. || No
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| 2004 -<br>present || [[Yemen]] || Ongoing drone strikes, allegedly targeting terror suspects || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1998 || [[:Category:Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] || Cruise missiles on Osama Bin Ladens compounds. || No
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| 2004 -<br>present || [[Pakistan]] || Ongoing drone strikes, allegedly targeting militants || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1998 || [[:Category:Sudan|Sudan]] || Cruise missile attack on an antibiotic factory wrongly alleged to be producing WMD. || No
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| 2003 -<br>2011 ||[[Iraq]] || Regime change against Saddam Hussein, an ally who had gone rogue. By all accounts, US Ambassador in Baghdad, April Glaspie, gave Saddam the green light to invade Kuwait in August 1990. She was totally silent on everything until her retirement in 2002 and has not spoken since.<ref>[http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11376.htm Is the US State Department still keeping April Glaspie under wraps?] Information Clearing House 12/25/2005.</ref> || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1998 || [[:Category:Iran|Iran]] || || ????
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| 2001 -<br>present || [[Afghanistan]] || Regime change and boosting the [[opium]] trade under the pretext of pursuing [[Osama Bin Laden]]. || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1995 || [[:Category:Bosnia|Bosnia]] || Serbian forces bombed. Generally accepted as a "good war".  || No
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| 1999 || [[Yugoslavia]], [[Serbia]] || Allegedly to stop an ethnic cleansing that had begun or might begin. Targeted television stations and bombed the Chinese Embassy. || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1992-94 || [[:Category:Somalia|Somalia]] || Known to the West chiefly for "Black Hawk Down" || ????
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| 1998 || [[Afghanistan]] || Cruise missiles on Osama Bin Laden's compounds. || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1991 || [[:Category:Kuwait|Kuwait]] || See bombing of Iraq, below. Some of the attack took place within Kuwait, leaving quantities of Depleted Uranium, and causing much subsequent concern about cancers. || No
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| 1998 || [[Sudan]] || Cruise missile attack on an antibiotic factory wrongly alleged to be producing WMD. || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1991 || [[:Category:Iraq|Iraq]] || Bombing for 40 days and nights devastated the ancient and modern capital city of one of the most advanced nations in the Middle East. 177 million pounds of bombs fell in the most concentrated aerial onslaught in the history of the world.<ref name=bluminterventions/> Genuine multi-national effort and seen by most as a "good war". || No
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| 1998 || [[Iran]] || || ??
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1989-90 || [[:Category:Panama|Panama]] || December 1989, a large tenement barrio in Panama City wiped out, 15,000 people left homeless. Casualties disputed.<ref name=bluminterventions/> || No
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| 1995 || [[Bosnia]] || Serbian forces bombed. [[Depleted Uranium]] shells used. || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1989 || [[:Category:Libya|Libya]] || Attempt to kill Ghaddafi, Tripoli bombed. ||  
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| 1992-<br>1994 || [[Somalia]] || Known to the West chiefly for "Black Hawk Down" || ??
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1987-88 ||[[:Category:Iran|Iran]] || || ????
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| 1991 || [[Kuwait]] || See bombing of Iraq, below. Some of the attack took place within Kuwait, leaving quantities of Depleted Uranium, and causing much subsequent concern about cancers. || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1981-90 || [[:Category:Nicaragua|Nicaragua]] || US taken to the World Court and condemned for terrorism. || Denied by some
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| 1991 || [[Iraq]] || Bombing for 40 days and nights devastated the ancient and modern capital city of one of the most advanced nations in the Middle East. 177 million pounds of bombs fell in the most concentrated aerial onslaught in the history of the world.<ref name=bluminterventions/> Genuine multi-national effort and seen by most as a "good war". || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1981-92 || [[:Category:El Salvador|El Salvadore]] || Officially, the U.S. military presence in El Salvador was limited to an advisory capacity. About 20 Americans were killed or wounded in helicopter and plane crashes while flying reconnaissance or other missions over combat areas, and considerable evidence surfaced of a U.S. role in the ground fighting as well. The war came to an official end in 1992; 75,000 civilian deaths at a cost of six billion dollars. Meaningful social change still largely thwarted by 1999. A handful of the wealthy still owned the country, the poor remained as ever, and dissidents still suffered from death squads.<ref name=bluminterventions/> || Disputed by some
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| 1989 -<br>1990 || [[Panama]] || December 1989, a large tenement barrio in Panama City wiped out, 15,000 people left homeless. Casualties disputed.<ref name=bluminterventions/> || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1986 || [[:Category:Libya|Libya]] || One of more than 50 attempts to assassinate foreign leaders (no listing in Pilger's "The World War on Democracy").<ref name=pilger>[http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28753 The World War on Democracy] One of more than 50 attempts to assassinate foreign leaders (but no listing) Global Research, John Pilger Jan 19, 2012, citing William Blum's "updated summary of the record of US foreign policy". Since the Second World War" of July 2011.</ref> || No
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| 1987 -<br>1988 ||[[Iran]] || Operation Prime Chance, nominally to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1983-84 || [[:Category:Grenada|Grenada]] || Was air-power used? ||  
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| 1986 || [[Libya]] || Attempt to kill Gaddafi, Tripoli bombed. Operation El Dorado Canyon, one of more than 50 attempts to assassinate foreign leaders (no listing in Pilger's "The World War on Democracy").<ref name=pilger>[http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28753 The World War on Democracy] One of more than 50 attempts to assassinate foreign leaders (but no listing) Global Research, John Pilger Jan 19, 2012, citing William Blum's "updated summary of the record of US foreign policy". Since the Second World War" of July 2011.</ref> || No
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1982-84 || [[:Category:Lebanon|Lebanon]] || Shelled villages from war-ship. ||  
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| 1979 -<br>1990 || [[Nicaragua]] || [[Ronald Reagan]]'s "freedom fighters." Sandinistas overthrow Somoza dictatorship in 1978, [[CIA]] uses profits from [[CIA/Drug trafficking|drug running]] to arm the Contras "[[Iran-Contra]]" (i.e. Somoza's vicious National Guard and other supporters of the dictator). US was condemned for "[[terrorism]]" by the World Court in 1986.<ref>[http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/41/a41r031.htm Judgment of the International Court of Justice of 27 June 1986 concerning military and paramilitary activities in and against Nicaragua: need for immediate compliance] United Nations General Assembly 3 Nov 1986.</ref><ref>[http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=nicaragua US-Nicaragua (1979-) history of US Interventions] cooperative research.</ref> All-out war, aimed at destroying all social and economic programs of the government, burning down schools and medical clinics, raping, torturing, mining harbors, bombing and strafing. <ref name=bluminterventions/> || Denied by some?
 
|-
 
|-
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| 1969-70 || [[:Category:Cambodia|Cambodia]] || More bombs than the whole of WW2. ||  
+
| 1981 -<br>1992 || [[El Salvador]] || Officially, the U.S. military presence in El Salvador was limited to an advisory capacity. About 20 Americans were killed or wounded in helicopter and plane crashes while flying reconnaissance or other missions over combat areas, and considerable evidence surfaced of a U.S. role in the ground fighting as well. The war came to an official end in 1992; 75,000 civilian deaths at a cost of six billion dollars. Meaningful social change still largely thwarted by 1999. A handful of the wealthy still owned the country, the poor remained as ever, and dissidents still suffered from death squads.<ref name=bluminterventions/> || By some
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1961-73 || [[:Category:Vietnam|Vietnam]] || South Vietnam devastated. ||  
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| 1983 -<br>1984 || [[Grenada]] || Operation Urgent Fury, termed by the UN General Assembly termed it "a flagrant violation of international law"<ref name="grenada">http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/resguide/r38.htm </ref>. || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1964-73 || [[:Category:Laos|Laos]] || ||  
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| 1982 -<br>1984 || [[Lebanon]] || Shelled villages from warship. || ??
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1965 || [[:Category:Peru|Peru]] || || Disputed by some
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| 1969 -<br>1970 || [[Cambodia]] || More bombs than the whole of WW2. || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1965-66 || [[:Category:Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic]] || || ????
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| 1961 -<br>1973 || [[Vietnam]] || South Vietnam devastated. || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1964 || [[:Category:Guatemala|Guatemala]] || || ????
+
| 1964 -<br>1975 || [[Laos]] || "[[Anti-communism]]" || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1964 || [[:Category:Congo|Belgian Congo]] || || Disputed by some
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| 1965 || [[Peru]] || Bombing of Peru and assistance to counter-insurgency operations <ref name=Blum> William Blum, ''Killing Hope: U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions since World War II'', 2003 </ref><ref> [http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Rogue_State_US/US_Bombing_Since_WWII.html US Bombing Interventions Since WW II], ''Third World Traveler'' </ref> || By some
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1960 || [[:Category:Guatemala|Guatemala]] ||  || Disputed by some
+
| 1965 -<br>1966 || [[Dominican Republic]] ||  || ??
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1959-60 || [[:Category:Cuba|Cuba]] || 40 years of terrorist attacks, bombings, full-scale military invasion, sanctions, embargoes, isolation, assassinations.<ref name=bluminterventions/> ||  
+
| 1964 || [[Guatemala]] || || ??
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1958 || [[:Category:Indonesia|Indonesia]] || Large scale killings || ????
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| 1964 || [[Belgian Congo]] || || By some
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1954 || [[:Category:Guatemala|Guatemala]] || A CIA-organized coup overthrew the democratically-elected and progressive government of Jacobo Arbenz, initiating 40 years of death-squads, torture, disappearances, mass executions, and unimaginable cruelty (peaking 1967-69) totaling well over 100,000 victims - one of the most inhuman chapters of the 20th century. Arbenz had nationalized the U.S. firm, United Fruit Company. The Russians had so little interest in the country that it didn't even maintain diplomatic relations.<ref name=bluminterventions/> || Disputed by some
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| 1961 || [[Cuba]] || The infamous [[Bay of Pigs invasion]], designed to fail, intended to draw [[JFK]] into a full scale invasion. || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1950-53 || [[:Category:China|China]] ||  || Denied by some
+
| 1960 || [[Guatemala]] ||  || By some
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1950-53 || [[:Category:Korea|Korea]] || At least 20% and perhaps up to 1/3rd of the population killed in order to prevent re-unification. || No
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| 1959 -<br>1960 || [[Cuba]] || 40 years of attacks, bombings, full-scale military invasion, sanctions, embargoes, isolation, assassinations.<ref name=bluminterventions/> || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 1945-46 || [[:Category:China|China]] || || Denied by some
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| 1958 || [[Indonesia]] || Large scale killings{{cn}} || ??
−
|}
 
−
 
 
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==Countries where the US has attempted to assassinate a movement leader==
 
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The US has made more than 50 attempts to assassinate political party leaders according to William Blum in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Hope "Killing Hope: U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions since World War II"], 2003. Noam Chomsky called this book [http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_kevin_ba_080507_william_blum_to_noam.htm "Far and away the best book on the topic.]". Former CIA officer John Stockwell called the same book [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/RepresentativePress/binLadenphoto.html&date=2009-10-25+09:44:13 "The single most useful summary of CIA history."]
 
−
 
 
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All such operations are illegal and almost all such killings are aimed at geo-political objectives. In almost no cases can any clear humanitarian benefit be identified, even if the target is/was indeed tyrranical.
 
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While bombings with aircraft leave evidence in most cases, covert operations may be difficult to prove.
 
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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
 
 
|-
 
|-
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! align="left" width="6%"|<big>'''Year'''</big> !! <big>'''Country'''</big> !! Details !! Disputed?
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| 1954 || [[Guatemala]] || A CIA-organised coup ([[Operation PBSUCCESS]]) overthrew the democratically-elected and progressive government of [[Jacobo Arbenz]], initiating over 35 years of [[death squads]], [[torture]], [[disappearances]], mass [[murder]], totaling well over 100,000 victims - one of the most inhuman chapters of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Arbenz had nationalized the U.S. firm, [[United Fruit Company]]. The Russians had so little interest in the country that it didn't even maintain diplomatic relations.<ref name=bluminterventions/> Bombers based in Nicaragua. 200,000 people are eventually dead in a 36 year long Guatemalan Civil War.<ref> Washington Monthly [[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_10_34/ai_93088744 SILENCE ON THE MOUNTAIN] Stories of Terror, Betrayal, and Forgetting in Guatemala by Daniel Wilkinson Houghton Mifflin.</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=sp3IGB4csCQC "Secret History: The CIA's Classified Account of Its Operations in Guatemala, 1952-1954"] Stanford University Press, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=mS7ZVKa6i3AC "Shattered Hope: The Guatemalan Revolution and the United States, 1944-1954"] Princeton University Press, 1992.</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=h17R_A0n-1MC "Managing the Counterrevolution: The United States and Guatemala, 1954-1961"] Ohio University Press, 2000.</ref><ref>[http://lap.sagepub.com/cgi/pdf_extract/10/1/88 "U.S. Foreign Policy toward Radical Change: Covert Operations in Guatemala, 1950-1954"]. Latin American Perspectives, 1983, Vol. 10, No. 1, p. 88-102.</ref> || Disputed by some
 
|-
 
|-
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| 2011 || Pakistan || Osama Bin Laden. Killing of a captured man. || Maybe
+
| 1950 -<br>1953 || [[China]] || || By some
 
|-
 
|-
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| 2003 || Iraq || Saddam Hussein and his two sons. Two killings and a semi-judicial execution. || Maybe
+
| 1950 -<br>1953 || [[Korea]] || At least 20% and perhaps up to 1/3rd of the population killed in order to prevent re-unification. || No
 
|-
 
|-
−
| 2002 || Afghanistan || Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Islamic leader and warlord || Maybe
+
| 1945 -<br>1946 || [[China]] ||  || By some
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|-
+
|}
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| 1998, 2001-2 || Afghanistan || Osama bin Laden, leading Islamic militant. Cruise missiles followed by a full-scale invasion. || Maybe
+
{{SMWDocs}}
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|-
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==References==
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| 1993 || Somalia || Mohamed Farah Aideed, prominent clan leader. Failed attempt but he died later. || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1991 || Iraq || Saddam Hussein, leader. Attempt to kill him? || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1985 || Lebanon || Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Shiite leader (80 people killed in the attempt) || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1984 || Nicaragua || The nine comandantes of the Sandinista National Directorate || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1983 || Nicaragua || Miguel d'Escoto, Foreign Minister || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1983 || Moroccan || Gen. Ahmed Dlimi, Army commander || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1982 || Iran || Ayatollah Khomeini, leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1980-1986 || Libya || Muammar Qaddafi, leader, several plots and attempts upon his life || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1976 || Jamaica || Michael Manley, Prime Minister || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1975 || Zaire || Mobutu Sese Seko, President || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1972 || Panama || General Manuel Noriega, Chief of Intelligence. Captured alive and been imprisoned ever since. || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1970s, 1981 || Panama || General Omar Torrijos, leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1970 || Chile || Gen. Rene Schneider, Commander-in-Chief of Army || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1970 || Chile || Salvador Allende, President || No
 
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|-
 
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| 1967 || Cuba || Che Guevara, revolutionary leader. || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1965-6 || France || Charles de Gaulle, President || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1965 || Dominican Republic || Francisco Caamaño, opposition leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1960s || Cuba || Raúl Castro, high official in government || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1960s-70s || Cuba || Fidel Castro, President, many attempts on his life including poisoned cigars.  || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1963 || South Vietnam || Ngo Dinh Diem, President. Successful attempt to replace one puppet leader with another. || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1961 || Dominican Republic || Gen. Rafael Trujillo, leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1961 || Congo (Zaire) || Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1961 || Haiti || Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1950s-70s || Costa Rica || José Figueres, President, two attempts on his life || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1960 || Iraq || Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim Kassem, leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1959, 1963, 1969 || Cambodia || Norodom Sihanouk, leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1957 || Egypt || Gamal Abdul Nasser, President || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1955 || India || Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
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| 1951 || Iran || Mohammed Mossadegh, Prime Minister || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1951 || North Korea || Kim Il Sung, Premier || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1950s (mid) || Philippines  || Claro M. Recto, opposition leader || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1950s, 1962 || Indonesia || Sukarno, President || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1950s || China || Prime minister Chou En-lai, several attempts on his life || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1950s || Germany || CIA/Neo-Nazi hit list of more than 200 political figures in West Germany to be "put out of the way" in the event of a Soviet invasion || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1949 || Korea || Kim Koo, opposition leader || No
 
−
|}  
 
−
 
 
−
Increasingly, attacks are being made on individuals or leaders of quite small groups designated "terrorists". In 2011/2012 there are killings of nuclear technicians in Iran.
 
−
 
 
−
==Countries where the US has attempted to overthrow a democratic government==
 
−
 
 
−
The US has attempted to overthrow more than 50 national governments, most of them being popular/democratic rather than tyrannical.<ref name=pilger/>
 
−
 
 
−
While bombings with aircraft leave evidence in most cases, covert operations may be difficult to prove.
 
−
 
 
−
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
 
−
|-
 
−
! align="left" width="6%"|<big>'''Year'''</big> !! <big>'''Country'''</big> !! Details !! Disputed?
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1973 || Chile || 1970 attempts to kill Salvador Allende, President and Gen. Rene Schneider, Commander-in-Chief of Army. || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1964 || Brazil || Democratic government overthrown and replaced with a military dictator, and with American support military dictators dominated Brazil until the late 1970s. || Maybe
 
−
|-
 
−
| 1953 || Iran || In 1951 the Iranian parliament voted to nationalize the Iran's petroleum industry, threatening the profits of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Declassified CIA documents show that Britain was fearful of Iran's plans to nationalize its oil industry and pressed the U.S. to mount a joint operation to depose the prime minister and install a puppet regime. Elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and his government were replaced by the Shah (overthrown 26 years later).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/041600iran-cia-index.html Special Report: Secret History of the CIA in Iran] New York Times. 2000.</ref> || No
 
−
|}  
 
−
 
 
−
==Countries where the US has attempted to suppress a populist or national movement==
 
−
 
 
−
The US has has attempted to suppress a populist or national movement in 20 countries.<ref name=pilger/> Covert operations may be difficult or impossible to prove.
 
−
 
 
−
==Countries where the US has seriously interfered in democratic elections==
 
−
 
 
−
The US has seriously interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries.<ref name=pilger/> Covert operations may be difficult or impossible to prove.
 
−
 
 
−
==Reliability of this information==
 
−
 
 
−
The shortage of material in the [[MSM]] means that some of this Wikispooks article has used sources which, while they are better than blogs, are not really subject to the kind of "editorial control" exerted by responsible publishers. In many cases, this comes down to the reliability of individual authors. While some of the authors used here may be opinionated, prone to using flowery language and (inevitably) accused of errors, none of them are known to deliberately distort the facts.
 
−
 
 
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==Wikpedia bias==
 
−
 
 
−
Substantial bias can be seen in many parts of the Wikipedia articles (eg no mention of the successful World Court action by Nicaragua against the US). Partly this is simply concealment of the overall picture in the mass of detail.
 
−
 
 
−
However, there are other clues which betray the impossible editing conditions which are tolerated and indeed imposed at the Wikipedia, whereby good editors are driven off by bad editors.
 
−
 
 
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==Notes==
 
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{{reflist|2}}
 
{{reflist|2}}
−
 
−
[[Category:US Intervention]]
 

Latest revision as of 03:39, 3 March 2022

See also US Sponsored Regime-change efforts since 1945 and US Foreign Assassinations since 1945.

Concept.png US/Bombing campaigns since 1945 
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US Bombings since 1945.jpg
Start1945
List of countries the US has bombed from the air since 1945.

This is a list of countries the US has bombed since 1945. This is in fact only the most visible aspect of US Intervention abroad. In practice, US led assassinations and overthrows of legitimate governments and interference with elections may be just as significant as the actual bombings listed here.

Official narrative

This article was intended as an adjunct to two Wikipedia articles, Timeline of United States military operations (which is extremely long as uses rather biased language) and Covert US foreign regime change actions (deleted in April 2016, but the original content is still available here). Both articles (one of which is rated as of 'low importance') are unclear, lack useful summaries and have big gaps. There was no mention, for example, of the successful World Court action by Nicaragua against the US). The talk page confirm the difficulty faced by editors attempting to restore objectivity to the page in the face of a bevy of editors beholden to the US-sponsored official narrative.

Countries the US has bombed since the end of World War 2

The US is said to have carried out 32 distinct and separate bombing campaigns on 24 different countries between 1945 and 1999.[1] However, the listing below includes later operations as well. In most cases, bombings with aircraft cannot be denied, though in some cases this has been attempted.

Date Country Details Disputed?
2014 -
present		 Iraq and Syria Said to be against ISIS with alleged beheadings as the primary casus belli No
2011 -
present		 Somalia Ongoing drone strikes No
2011 Libya Early US attacks under UNSC 1973 were followed by NATO's “Operation Unified Protector”, leading to regime change and death of Gaddafi. No
2004 -
present		 Yemen Ongoing drone strikes, allegedly targeting terror suspects No
2004 -
present		 Pakistan Ongoing drone strikes, allegedly targeting militants No
2003 -
2011		 Iraq Regime change against Saddam Hussein, an ally who had gone rogue. By all accounts, US Ambassador in Baghdad, April Glaspie, gave Saddam the green light to invade Kuwait in August 1990. She was totally silent on everything until her retirement in 2002 and has not spoken since.[2] No
2001 -
present		 Afghanistan Regime change and boosting the opium trade under the pretext of pursuing Osama Bin Laden. No
1999 Yugoslavia, Serbia Allegedly to stop an ethnic cleansing that had begun or might begin. Targeted television stations and bombed the Chinese Embassy. No
1998 Afghanistan Cruise missiles on Osama Bin Laden's compounds. No
1998 Sudan Cruise missile attack on an antibiotic factory wrongly alleged to be producing WMD. No
1998 Iran ??
1995 Bosnia Serbian forces bombed. Depleted Uranium shells used. No
1992-
1994		 Somalia Known to the West chiefly for "Black Hawk Down" ??
1991 Kuwait See bombing of Iraq, below. Some of the attack took place within Kuwait, leaving quantities of Depleted Uranium, and causing much subsequent concern about cancers. No
1991 Iraq Bombing for 40 days and nights devastated the ancient and modern capital city of one of the most advanced nations in the Middle East. 177 million pounds of bombs fell in the most concentrated aerial onslaught in the history of the world.[1] Genuine multi-national effort and seen by most as a "good war". No
1989 -
1990		 Panama December 1989, a large tenement barrio in Panama City wiped out, 15,000 people left homeless. Casualties disputed.[1] No
1987 -
1988		 Iran Operation Prime Chance, nominally to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf No
1986 Libya Attempt to kill Gaddafi, Tripoli bombed. Operation El Dorado Canyon, one of more than 50 attempts to assassinate foreign leaders (no listing in Pilger's "The World War on Democracy").[3] No
1979 -
1990		 Nicaragua Ronald Reagan's "freedom fighters." Sandinistas overthrow Somoza dictatorship in 1978, CIA uses profits from drug running to arm the Contras "Iran-Contra" (i.e. Somoza's vicious National Guard and other supporters of the dictator). US was condemned for "terrorism" by the World Court in 1986.[4][5] All-out war, aimed at destroying all social and economic programs of the government, burning down schools and medical clinics, raping, torturing, mining harbors, bombing and strafing. [1] Denied by some?
1981 -
1992		 El Salvador Officially, the U.S. military presence in El Salvador was limited to an advisory capacity. About 20 Americans were killed or wounded in helicopter and plane crashes while flying reconnaissance or other missions over combat areas, and considerable evidence surfaced of a U.S. role in the ground fighting as well. The war came to an official end in 1992; 75,000 civilian deaths at a cost of six billion dollars. Meaningful social change still largely thwarted by 1999. A handful of the wealthy still owned the country, the poor remained as ever, and dissidents still suffered from death squads.[1] By some
1983 -
1984		 Grenada Operation Urgent Fury, termed by the UN General Assembly termed it "a flagrant violation of international law"[6]. No
1982 -
1984		 Lebanon Shelled villages from warship. ??
1969 -
1970		 Cambodia More bombs than the whole of WW2. No
1961 -
1973		 Vietnam South Vietnam devastated. No
1964 -
1975		 Laos "Anti-communism" No
1965 Peru Bombing of Peru and assistance to counter-insurgency operations [7][8] By some
1965 -
1966		 Dominican Republic ??
1964 Guatemala ??
1964 Belgian Congo By some
1961 Cuba The infamous Bay of Pigs invasion, designed to fail, intended to draw JFK into a full scale invasion. No
1960 Guatemala By some
1959 -
1960		 Cuba 40 years of attacks, bombings, full-scale military invasion, sanctions, embargoes, isolation, assassinations.[1] No
1958 Indonesia Large scale killings[citation needed] ??
1954 Guatemala A CIA-organised coup (Operation PBSUCCESS) overthrew the democratically-elected and progressive government of Jacobo Arbenz, initiating over 35 years of death squads, torture, disappearances, mass murder, totaling well over 100,000 victims - one of the most inhuman chapters of the 20th century. Arbenz had nationalized the U.S. firm, United Fruit Company. The Russians had so little interest in the country that it didn't even maintain diplomatic relations.[1] Bombers based in Nicaragua. 200,000 people are eventually dead in a 36 year long Guatemalan Civil War.[9][10][11][12][13] Disputed by some
1950 -
1953		 China By some
1950 -
1953		 Korea At least 20% and perhaps up to 1/3rd of the population killed in order to prevent re-unification. No
1945 -
1946		 China By some

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Harold Pinter - 2005 Nobel Prize lecturespeech7 December 2005Harold PinterHarold Pinter's Nobel Prize acceptance speech made by video-link to the ceremony in Norway because of his illness. He was in the terminal stages of cancer. The speech is inspirational in its scathing rejection of Western (especially US) foreign policy objectives and methods.
Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpowerbook2000William BlumA critical examination of United States foreign policy during and following the Cold War
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References

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g A Brief History of U.S. Interventions 1945 to the Present by William Blum - Z magazine, June 1999.
  2. ↑ Is the US State Department still keeping April Glaspie under wraps? Information Clearing House 12/25/2005.
  3. ↑ The World War on Democracy One of more than 50 attempts to assassinate foreign leaders (but no listing) Global Research, John Pilger Jan 19, 2012, citing William Blum's "updated summary of the record of US foreign policy". Since the Second World War" of July 2011.
  4. ↑ Judgment of the International Court of Justice of 27 June 1986 concerning military and paramilitary activities in and against Nicaragua: need for immediate compliance United Nations General Assembly 3 Nov 1986.
  5. ↑ US-Nicaragua (1979-) history of US Interventions cooperative research.
  6. ↑ http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/resguide/r38.htm
  7. ↑ William Blum, Killing Hope: U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions since World War II, 2003
  8. ↑ US Bombing Interventions Since WW II, Third World Traveler
  9. ↑ Washington Monthly [SILENCE ON THE MOUNTAIN Stories of Terror, Betrayal, and Forgetting in Guatemala by Daniel Wilkinson Houghton Mifflin.
  10. ↑ "Secret History: The CIA's Classified Account of Its Operations in Guatemala, 1952-1954" Stanford University Press, 2006.
  11. ↑ "Shattered Hope: The Guatemalan Revolution and the United States, 1944-1954" Princeton University Press, 1992.
  12. ↑ "Managing the Counterrevolution: The United States and Guatemala, 1954-1961" Ohio University Press, 2000.
  13. ↑ "U.S. Foreign Policy toward Radical Change: Covert Operations in Guatemala, 1950-1954". Latin American Perspectives, 1983, Vol. 10, No. 1, p. 88-102.
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