1954 Guatemala CIA Coup: Explain Why you are Against the Covert Action that was Set in Place (Essay Sample)

The US Covert Operation in Guatemala
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Abstract
The intention of this research is to look at the overview of the CIA operations in Guatemala. What implications and effects have caused the country over the past decades. The covert missions of CIA have a major contribution to the current events happing in Guatemala. After 1954, CIA covert mission Guatemala the democratic view of the citizens has been jeopardized. In the year 1954, the US president ordered a covert operation in Guatemala. The operation was carried out by the CIA. Before the attack, Guatemala had started exercising democracy, but after the US involvement in the coup in the year 1954, the democracy in Guatemala started shattering. In addition, Currently, Guatemala is known for impunity, racism, corruption, and other vices. This paper explores the US contributions towards these vices in the nation. This paper will highlight the mission implication thus the stand AGAINST the covert operations carried out by the CIA.
Introduction
As affirmed by the US department of defense, a covert operation also referred to as CoveOps or covert ops is an operation on an activity which is planned and carried out to hide the identity of the sponsor (Daugherty, 2006). It is usually carried out to cause a political effect that has implications in the intelligence, military or any arena of law enforcement which affects the population of a nation or persons outside that nation (Daugherty, 2006). Covert ops are secretly carried out without the other parties conceal. In the US only the CIA carries out covert operations unless otherwise authorized by the president.
Thesis Statement
Was the CIA covert operation in Guatemala criticized for its outcome? Over the decades, the action has received criticism globally. It has even expanded the US anti-sentiment in Latin America. The new president, who was not elected, Carlos, used dictatorial powers, imprisoning and torturing opponents, he banned all political parties and also revising Guatemala social norms established during the Guatemala Revolution (Aldrich, 2001). Till 1996, Guatemala has always been ruled by a US authoritarian government. This repression led to Guatemala civil war which was between leftists’ guerrillas and the government. During the civil war, there was a massive violation of human rights. The operation PBSUCCESS has served to be the deathblow to democracy in Guatemala.
Discussion
In the year 1954, the CIA carried out a covert operation in Guatemala. The attack overthrew Arbenz Jacobo, Guatemala democratically elected president. Also, the mission ended Guatemala Revolution (Immerman, 2010). In 1944, Guatemala held the first democratic election which saw Arevalo Jose Juan being elected as the first president-elect of Guatemala. He turned Guatemala into liberal capitalist society. During his reign, he implemented many reforms such as minimum wage law, education funds increment, and universal suffrage (Immerman, 2010). In 1950, Arbenz Jacob, Arevalo’s minister of defense, was elected as the second president of Guatemala (Cold War Museum, 2017). He continued with the social reforms. In addition to his predecessor, Arbenz implemented land reforms. The reform spurred to grant land to landless or peasants who were previously victims of debts slavery prior to Juan’s election.
Despite all these reforms, the US was not pleased with the Guatemala Revolution. This led to cold war leading the US perception of the Revolution as a communist (Cullather, 2006). In 1952, the US President Harry Truman ordered the Operation PBFORTUNE to overthrow Arbenz to be accrued out. The operation was supported by Garcia Somoza Anastasio, the Nicaraguan dictator. The operation was aborted when most information regarding the operation went viral. After the election of Eisenhower D. Dwight as the US president in 1952, he promised to resume the operation and fight against communism (Cullather, 2006). The CIA in conjunction with the president’s views stressed the major importance of eliminating communists and collaborators who were perceived to be loyal to Arbenz. In 18th June 1954, the soldiers invaded Guatemala under the operation PBSUCCESS. The operation was accompanied with which includes the bombing of Guatemala City together with the anti-Arbenz radio station. The Guatemala soldiers refused to fight. On June 27, Arbenz resig...