Back to old ways: Maduro’s capture follows long list of US interventions in Latin America

Washington has orchestrated dozens of regime changes in the region in the 20th century alone, including through direct military invasions

The US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has become the latest chapter in a long saga of interventions and regime changes staged by Washington all over Latin America over the past century.

Under the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, the US essentially declared the Western Hemisphere America’s backyard. Under this policy, the US played a role in dozens of coups and government overthrow attempts in the 20th century alone, including several cases of direct military intervention and occupation, reaching their peak during the Cold War.

On Saturday, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, told a press conference that an operation to capture Maduro was “meticulously planned, drawing lessons from decades of missions.” According to the general, “there is always a chance that we’ll be tasked to do this type of mission again.”

READ MORE: The Monroe Doctrine is back – dressed up as a war on drugs

RT looks back at some of the landmark cases of US interference that shaped the history of Latin America.

When regime change succeeded…

… and when coup attempts failed