United States and state-sponsored terrorism

The United States has at various times in recent history provided support to terrorist and paramilitary organizations around the world. It has also provided assistance to numerous authoritarian regimes that have used state terrorism as a tool of repression.^[1]^[2]

American support for terrorists has been prominent in Latin America and the Middle East.^[1] From 1981 to 1991, the United States provided weapons, training, and extensive financial and logistical support to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, who used terror tactics in their fight against the Nicaraguan government.^[3] At various points the United States also provided training, arms, and funds to terrorists among Cuban exiles, such as Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles.^[4]

Various reasons have been given to try to justify this support. These include destabilizing political movements that might have aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, including popular democratic and socialist movements.^[5] Such support has also formed a part of the war on drugs.^[2] Support was often geared toward ensuring a conducive environment for American corporate interests abroad, especially when these interests came under threat from democratic governments.^[5]^[6]

^ ^a ^b George, Alexander (1991). "Introduction". In George, Alexander (ed.). Western State Terrorism. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415904735.
^ ^a ^b Blakeley, Ruth (December 2006). "State Terrorism by Northern Democratic States: Critical for a "Critical" Terrorism Studies". British International Studies Association Conference. Cork, Ireland.
^ Feldmann, Andreas E.; Maiju Perälä (July 2004). "Reassessing the Causes of Nongovernmental Terrorism in Latin America". Latin American Politics and Society. 46 (2): 101–132. doi:10.1111/j.1548-2456.2004.tb00277.x. S2CID 221247620.
^ "Cuban Exiles in America | American Experience | PBS". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
^ ^a ^b Greg Grandin; Gilbert M. Joseph (2010). A Century of Revolution: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent Violence during Latin America's Long Cold War. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. pp. 397–414. ISBN 978-0822392859.
^ Noam Chomsky (1985). Turning the Tide: U.S. Intervention in Central America and the Struggle for Peace. Boston, Massachusetts: South End Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0896082663.

[George_1991-1] George, Alexander (1991). "Introduction". In George, Alexander (ed.). Western State Terrorism. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415904735.

[Blakeley_2006-2] Blakeley, Ruth (December 2006). "State Terrorism by Northern Democratic States: Critical for a "Critical" Terrorism Studies". British International Studies Association Conference. Cork, Ireland.

[Non-governmental_Terrorism-3] Feldmann, Andreas E.; Maiju Perälä (July 2004). "Reassessing the Causes of Nongovernmental Terrorism in Latin America". Latin American Politics and Society. 46 (2): 101–132. doi:10.1111/j.1548-2456.2004.tb00277.x. S2CID 221247620.

[4] "Cuban Exiles in America | American Experience | PBS". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-12-31.

[Grandin_&_Joseph-5] Greg Grandin; Gilbert M. Joseph (2010). A Century of Revolution: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent Violence during Latin America's Long Cold War. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. pp. 397–414. ISBN 978-0822392859.

[6] Noam Chomsky (1985). Turning the Tide: U.S. Intervention in Central America and the Struggle for Peace. Boston, Massachusetts: South End Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0896082663.

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