1981-1990: Nicaragua
The United States has a very long history of meddling with Nicaragua’s business. Between 1912 and 1933, the American forces occupied the entire country.
Between 1981 and 1986, President Ronald Reagan’s administration decided to secretly and illegally sell their arms to Iran. They meant to fund Contras, which was a group the CIA recruited and organized, in order to fight the socialist Sandinista government led by Daniel Ortega.
In 1986, many details of the Iran-Contra Affair became wildly public, which resulted in many congressional investigations. Ortega’s Sandinista government eventually ended in 1990, with the election of opposition candidate Violeta Chamorro as elected president (although reports are showing that she was heavily helped by the United States).
2001: Afghanistan
When the United States decided to invade Afghanistan in 2001, first thing was to establish an interim government that was led by Hamid Karzai, to replace the current Taliban government and the oppositional Northern Alliance.
Karzai ruled in 2002, too, when he officially became the head of Afghanistan’s transitional government. In 2004, he became the president of the U.S.-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
In 2014, Ashraf Ghani replaced him. Ghani was president until the Taliban retook power in 2021 when the U.S. formally ended its long war in Afghanistan.
2003: Iraq
Back in 2003, the United States finally invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein’s government. Just like the way it did in Afghanistan, the U.S. tried to establish an interim, transitional, and more stable government.
The United States formally ended the war in Iraq in 2011. Ever since the country’s government structure is still changing.
If you enjoyed reading this article, we also recommend reading: 7 Scandalous Political Resignations
