The Effect of American Intervention on Coup Occurrence in Latin America
Berger, Jack
Berger, Jack
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2024-12-18
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Abstract
This project seeks to add a layer of analysis to the study of political instability in Latin America. In previous research, much attention has been paid to economic and political factors as a cause of presidential instability in Latin America. The current research is thorough and important, but it leaves out external intervention by the United States as a key cause of presidential instability. Additionally, much of the current work focuses on impeachments as a means of terminating a presidency early, while this piece focuses on coups. My theory is that countries that experienced a successful American backed coup would see more coups than countries without a successful American intervention. Additionally, I theorize that countries that experienced intervention will have more coups after the intervention than before. My theory is based on the idea that a successful coup creates a domino effect that makes future coups more likely. This is because successful coups undermine democratic institutions, legitimize future coup attempts, and send a signal to future coup plotters that there is a better chance they will be successful. In my qualitative analysis, I found that successful coups embolden future coup plotters and normalize coups as a transfer of power. My quantitative analysis found that from 1950-2021, countries experiencing American intervention averaged .76 more coups than countries that did not experience an American intervention. Additionally, my analysis found that every country that experienced American intervention experienced as many as or more coups after the intervention than before. In all, my research suggests that American interventions in the region inadvertently created additional coups which has created leadership crises and continues to influence the political instability of the region today.
Contents
Subject
Coups
Latin America
American Intervention
Executive Instability
Executive Interruption
Latin America
American Intervention
Executive Instability
Executive Interruption