Determining Intent: Why Do US Leaders Intervene in Other Countries?

Author: Parenti M.

Source: New Political Science, Volume 24, Number 1, 1 March 2002 , pp. 39-55(17)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

How do we determine what are the motives of US leaders when they intervene in other countries either directly with US armed forces or indirectly with surrogate forces? Rather than accepting the policymakers' claims at face value, we can look for patterns of intervention: what kinds of governments and political movements do US leaders support? What kind do they oppose and seek to destroy? And what socioeconomic goals do they pursue upon successfully intervening? Rather than seeing US policy as befuddled and contradictory, we observe that it is often remarkably consistent in services rendered on behalf of transnational corporate global domination. Other policy considerations do come into play during times of intervention, but there is no reason to treat them as mutually exclusive of economic motives.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

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