Examining the US Role in Protecting Vulnerable Regions Globally

This essay explores the "policing" role developed by the U.S. following the Cold War, focusing on instances where the U.S. intervened to protect vulnerable regions from powerful oppressors. It highlights the U.S. intervention in Panama in 1989 under President George Bush to protect citizens, defend democracy, and combat drug trafficking, leading to the capture of Noriega and the installation of a democratic government. The essay also discusses the U.S. prevention of a communist government invasion in Grenada in 1983, citing the protection of American medical students as a key reason, as well as the Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1992 aimed at famine relief and nation-building. Furthermore, the essay critiques the U.S. involvement in the 1953 Iranian coup, viewing it as a self-serving action motivated by oil interests. The essay concludes that while the U.S. has played a significant role in protecting vulnerable regions, its actions are not without controversy and should continue with careful consideration of both the benefits and drawbacks.

Running Head: THE AMERICAN POLICING ROLE 1
Roles of the United States in Protecting Vulnerable Peoples and Regions from Powerful
Oppressors
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The cold war began as the World War II drew close to an end. Soviet Union and the U.S.
joined forces, and consequently defeating Axis powers, which consisted of countries such as
Germany and Japan during World War II. Afterwards, Soviet Union premier Joseph Stalin
wanted to increase Soviet influence as well as bringing communist revolution (Reagan, 1983).
On the other hand, the U.S. formed alliances with Asian and African countries as a way of
combating Soviet Union influence. Consequently, this resulted in conflicts between these two
superpowers, thus resulting in cold war. Some of the weapons that were used include; alliances
formation and surveillance. The U.S. developed a “policing” role as a result of the cold war
(Dulles, 1954). The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain explicitly some of the recent
examples that shows that the U.S. has protected vulnerable regions from powerful oppressors.
In December 1989, the U.S. under the leadership of President George Bush protected the
people of Panama against oppression by Noriega. In 1986, the negotiation between the president
of United States Ronald Reagan and General Noriega did not bore any fruit (Tarzi, 2014).
General Noriega failed to heed to the demands of the U.S. president, and thus did not step down
as requested. Similarly, an attempted coup against Panama government in 1988 failed as it
received military aid from different countries such as Libya. Afterwards, the plans to invade
Panama was executed in 1989 by George Bush. The following reasons led to the U.S. invasion;
safeguarding lives of more than 30,000 U.S. citizens, defending democracy and as a way of
dealing with drug trafficking. The U.S. military captured Noriega in 1990, and consequently,
installed a democratic government (Tarzi, 2014).
Also, the U.S. government prevented communist government from invading Grenada in
1983. In 1979, Maurice Bishop organized a coup, and afterwards, seized power (Klare, 2002).
Some of his principles included; women’s right and apartheid. Bishop was captured by hard-

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linemilitary junta in 1983 because of his approach regarding foreign policy. He was captured
alongside some union leaders as well as cabinet secretaries. Consequently, this forced U.S.
President to intervene as there were more than 600 medical students on the island from United
States. The invasion began after the death of Maurice Bishop. U.S. marine and Army Delta were
some of the invading forces alongside Jamaican forces. However, some countries such as Canada
criticized the U.S. for invasion (Klare, 2002). Afterwards, government was appointed by Paul
Scoon who was the Governor-General.
Besides, the U.S. also invaded Somalia in an Operation Restore Hope in 1992. The
invasion took place under President George Bush. The operation was aimed at facilitating famine
relief by supplying food to the citizens of Somalia as well as enhance nation building. The
operation was named as UNOSOM (Paul, 2008). It led to the death of many Somali citizens, and
afterwards, U.S. forces were withdrawn in 1994. Subsequently, U.N. troops were also withdrawn
in 1995. Furthermore, the U.S. played vital roles through its intervention in Iran. In 1953, the
Prime Minister of Iran was overthrown in a military coup. This operation was spearheaded by
Britain and the U.S. This was one of the cons of the U.S. “policing” activities as it aimed at
benefiting from oil industry. Afterwards, Mohammed Mossadeqh was replaced by Shah Pahlavi
(Schultz, 2018).
In conclusion, the U.S. has protected several vulnerable regions from powerful
oppressors as evidenced from the paper. For instance, it protected the people of Panama against
oppression by Noriega. Besides, it prevented communist government from invading Grenada in
1983. Furthermore, it also invaded Somalia in an Operation Restore Hope in 1992. However,
there are some cons that are associated with its “policing” activities, for example, joining forces
with Britain, and afterwards, overthrew Iran’s Prime Minister Mossadeqh because of oil

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industry. Hence, the U.S. should continue with its “policing” roles across the globe as it has
resulted in many pros than cons.

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References
Dulles, J. F. (1954, Jan. 2). Secretary Dulles’ Strategy of Massive Retaliation.
http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_*******309888/unprotected/ps/
dulles.html
Klare. M. (2002, July 15). Endless Military Superiority. Nation, 275(3), 12-16
http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=6926412&site=eds-live&scope=site
Paul, C. (2008). Marines on the Beach: The Politics of U.S. Military Intervention Decision
Making. eBook. http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=275009&site=eds-live&scope=site
Reagan. R. (March, 1983). Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Association of
Evangelicals.
http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_*******309888/unprotected/ps/
evilemp.html
Schultz, K. M. (2018). HIST: Volume 2: U.S. History since 1865 (Student Edition). Boston:
Cengage.
Tarzi, S. M. (2014, Sept). The Folly of a Grand Strategy of Coercive Global Primacy: A Fresh
Perspective on the Post-9/11 Bush Doctrine.
http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=*******7&site=eds-live&scope=site

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