By Dr. Halim Gençoğlu
“If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don’t care for human beings. The attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace.”
Nelson Mandela
The foreign policy of the United States has been characterized by expansionism and interventionism since the late 19th century. These interventions have manifested as military occupations, coups, covert operations, and economic sanctions, often labelled as “American imperialism.” This article presents a chronology beginning with the Hiroshima bombing and extending to interventions against Nicolás Maduro’s government in Venezuela. These actions are evaluated as unjust plunder, driven by economic interests, geopolitical strategies, and ideological motives. This examination addresses the justifications, criticisms, and consequences of these interventions from a historical perspective.
America’s Record of Occupation
The genocide committed against Native American peoples (1492–1900s): Estimates suggest that, with European colonization, the indigenous population of the continent exceeded 10 million, but by 1900 it had fallen below 300,000. U.S. government policies, including forced displacements such as the Trail of Tears, the Sand Creek and Wounded Knee massacres, allegations of spreading disease, and cultural destruction, played a major role in this process. In California alone, between 1846 and 1873, the documented killing of 120,000 Native Americans has been defined as an American genocide. This is not a single event, but a systematic extermination, considered one of the largest and most ruthless in scale.
The turning point on the Pacific front of World War II came with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, which killed approximately 200,000 civilians. The official U.S. justification was that the bombs hastened Japan’s unconditional surrender, preventing a costly ground invasion. However, revisionist historians argue that the primary purpose was to demonstrate power against the Soviet Union and that Japan was already signaling surrender.
Critics assert that the bombings constituted war crimes, as they targeted civilians and violated the Hague Conventions. Tsuyoshi Hasegawa’s research emphasizes that the Soviet invasion was more decisive in Japan’s surrender than the atomic bombs. This event is regarded as the pinnacle of imperialist power projection, marking the first use of nuclear weapons by the United States.
Another occupation marking the beginning of overseas American imperialism was the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. American businessmen and missionaries, supported by U.S. Marines, deposed Queen Liliʻuokalani to protect sugar plantation interests, establishing a provisional government. Hawaii was annexed in 1898 and became a strategic Pacific base. This intervention is seen as an extension of Manifest Destiny overseas.
Following the Spanish-American War in 1898, the transfer of the Philippines to the U.S. led to a brutal war to suppress the independence movement led by Emilio Aguinaldo, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Filipino civilian deaths. This laid the foundation for U.S. imperial presence in Asia.
In the early 20th century, frequent interventions occurred in the Caribbean and Central America.
In 1909, the U.S. supported conservative governments and suppressed the Sandino rebellion in Nicaragua. The Dominican Republic and Haiti also suffered occupations aimed at economic control, often to protect the interests of companies like the United Fruit Company.
During the Cold War, fear of communism triggered many interventions. For example:
In 1953, a CIA-backed coup in Iran overthrew Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh to protect oil interests and strengthened the Shah. In 1954, a CIA operation in Guatemala deposed President Jacobo Árbenz to safeguard United Fruit Company lands. In 1973, with CIA support, Salvador Allende was overthrown in Chile, leading to Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. These coups resulted in long-term repression and human rights violations. By 2003, the invasion of Iraq—based on claims of weapons of mass destruction—led to Saddam Hussein’s overthrow but created chaos and paved the way for the rise of ISIS.
Similarly, the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya (led by the U.S.) toppled Muammar Gaddafi, plunging the country into civil war. Although justified as promoting democracy, these interventions are linked to oil and geopolitical interests.
Venezuela and Nicolás Maduro
The process that began with Hugo Chávez’s rise in 1999 created tensions over oil resources. Since Nicolás Maduro assumed power in 2013, the U.S. has targeted his government with sanctions and diplomatic pressure. Expanded sanctions from 2019 onward (including against the state oil company PDVSA) deepened the economic crisis, contributing to hyperinflation and mass migration. Critics argue that the sanctions constitute economic warfare aimed at regime change; UN rapporteurs have deemed them contrary to international law. The U.S. labelled Maduro a dictator and narcoterrorist, recognizing Juan Guaidó as interim president. These interventions are viewed as a modern extension of the Monroe Doctrine.
Conclusion
U.S. foreign interventions, motivated by economic interests, security concerns, and ideology, have frequently led to long-term instability. The history stretching from Hiroshima to Venezuela demonstrates the continuity of imperialist tendencies. However, labelling these actions as unjust plunder remains a controversial interpretation; official sources typically cite national security justifications.
Sources
Kinzer, Stephen. Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. Times Books, 2006.
Immerwahr, Daniel. How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019.
Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan. Harvard University Press, 2005.
Blum, William. Killing Hope: U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions Since World War II. Common Courage Press, 2003.
Grandin, Greg. Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism. Metropolitan Books, 2006.
Wikipedia. “United States involvement in regime change” (2026 update).
Pew Research Center. “Views on the Atomic Bombings” (2025 survey).
Congressional Research Service. “Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2023”.