No one is perfect. People are flawed therefore government is flawed. Sometimes the choices we make as a society, with what may be the best of intentions can lead to disastrous consequences. In the Book “Overthrow: A History of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq” by Stephen Kinzer presents chilling insight into clandestine practice of overthrowing a government by the United States. It serves to show people what policy makers were thinking when these monumental decisions were made. His message is to serve as warning that the United States needs to be deliberate in its actions when dealing with foreign governments to go towards a path of discourse and dialogue rather than that of the sword and the bullet. While the author makes a strong point
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However the path that banana took to get from Honduras all the your local market led to despair and the promise of what could have been in a region of the world where people risk life and death to, ironically, get to the united states for the promise of a better life. Enter the united fruit company. Depending on where you go this name conjures up negative connotations and the uncomfortable relationship between American business interests exploiting the natural resources and culture of a people. Central America is blessed with many natural resources one of which is its favorable growing climate. American businessman, Sam Zemurray was the definition of the American dream; he arrived in this country penniless and worked his business from selling over ripped bananas to inland coastal areas in Alabama. By the age of 21 he amassed a fortune of 100,000 dollars, which adjusted for inflation is worth 5.2 million dollars. Just as George D. Emery in Nicaragua, Sam Zemurray resented the Honduran government for forcing him to follow the rules and pay taxes. He believed that he and his company was not bound to respect the rule of law of this small Central American country. Thus he enlisted the help of Lee Christmas, a colorful and precise soldier of fortune and Manuel Bonilla, the man that Sam Zemurray had handpicked to become the next president of the republic that would give him concessions along with a contingency of men who would help guide this overthrow. This was the first time a private business would attempt to overthrow a democratically elected government. President Miguel Davila was in a very vulnerable place diplomatically. He had just lost his strongest ally Jose Santos Zelaya in Nicaragua and was low hanging fruit, ripe for the picking. Sam Zemurray recognized this and did what he did best. He picked the fruit. As he moved forward with his plot the United States was in a sticky
However the path that banana took to get from Honduras all the your local market led to despair and the promise of what could have been in a region of the world where people risk life and death to, ironically, get to the united states for the promise of a better life. Enter the united fruit company. Depending on where you go this name conjures up negative connotations and the uncomfortable relationship between American business interests exploiting the natural resources and culture of a people. Central America is blessed with many natural resources one of which is its favorable growing climate. American businessman, Sam Zemurray was the definition of the American dream; he arrived in this country penniless and worked his business from selling over ripped bananas to inland coastal areas in Alabama. By the age of 21 he amassed a fortune of 100,000 dollars, which adjusted for inflation is worth 5.2 million dollars. Just as George D. Emery in Nicaragua, Sam Zemurray resented the Honduran government for forcing him to follow the rules and pay taxes. He believed that he and his company was not bound to respect the rule of law of this small Central American country. Thus he enlisted the help of Lee Christmas, a colorful and precise soldier of fortune and Manuel Bonilla, the man that Sam Zemurray had handpicked to become the next president of the republic that would give him concessions along with a contingency of men who would help guide this overthrow. This was the first time a private business would attempt to overthrow a democratically elected government. President Miguel Davila was in a very vulnerable place diplomatically. He had just lost his strongest ally Jose Santos Zelaya in Nicaragua and was low hanging fruit, ripe for the picking. Sam Zemurray recognized this and did what he did best. He picked the fruit. As he moved forward with his plot the United States was in a sticky