On October 25, an American force of nearly 2,000 marines and paratroopers landed on Grenada, later to be backed by more ground, naval, and air support, eventually totaling almost 10,000. The invasion, named Operation Urgent Fury, was able to gain full control of the island in only three days, which demonstrated American might and willingness to deploy troops. At the end of the three day invasion, only 19 U.S. soldiers were killed, in contrast to 45 Grenadian troops killed.
After the incident, the reaction in America was mostly positive, and most citizens felt that the invasion was a justified display of US power. Internationally, however, the reaction was strongly negative, and the United Nations even voted on a resolution that stated that the armed intervention was a violation of international law and must stop. While publicly, Reagan stated that the invasion was a defence of democracy, the invasion was really a way to boost his popularity and American morale. The invasion of Grenada was the first major US military operation since the defeat in Vietnam, and after a suicide bomber in Lebanon killed 240 marines stationed there two days before, this easy victory was what America needed to get its morale back up.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/world/europe/documents-show-thatcher-reagan-rift-over-us-grenada-invasion.html
https://www.historyguy.com/Grenada.html#.WqX_0Wrwbcs
https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/155/25966.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/26/us-troops-invade-grenada-archive
McKinley -- This was a really interesting post because it highlighted "Urgent Fury", a program that isn't often discussed. I thought it was interesting to see that the reaction from most of the American people remained positive because they were able to receive the most gain for little repercussion. I personally felt that America crossed a certain line because they so quickly took action so soon after the loss of a Prime Minister in Cuba, it almost could be seen as a declaration of war because the Americans were infringing on others powers by taking action in pursuit of a time of mourning or weakening in the country. Some may say that this was necessary, much like the savings of the Iran Hostage System or North Korea's hostages, America takes great are in saving its people no matter how small the amount of people are. This serves as a reminder to the harsh reality of international politics and that all are looking for personal gain rather than just for the sake of mending relations.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://sofrep.com/66338/remembering-operation-urgent-fury-33-years-later/
McKinley, thanks for writing this post highlighting an important event which we haven't learned much about. I thought it was interesting how Reagan made up excuses in order to execute this operation which would boost morale and his own popularity. Although this case was most likely unjustified, it brings up the question of whether sometimes it is necessary to defy international protocol for the benefit of a nation. In a more significant matter, could it be the right call for the US to openly go against international opinion?
ReplyDeleteThis post is a very clear summary of American deployment of troops in Grenada for a personal gain. After all of the death and seeming loss that the American people have witnessed for the past years cause a dip in the American self esteem and confidence. The invasion of Grenada was a moral booster, before anything else. Yes, it restored democracy, but it was never a major player that would truly affect America except in one way; confidence was restored. Grenada was a just a distraction, a veil to cover the truth, which was that America was fighting a serious battle with the Soviet Union and were struggling, as much as the American people don't want to admit that. Despite it all, Grenada was restored as a Democracy, and although it may not mean anything big strategically, it meant everything to the American people and citizens of Grenada. A big part of why Reagan allowed for this to be pursued was that this was a small mostly unimportant area that he knew if he liberated he would most likely get minimal backlash from the Soviet Union without completely destroying their relations.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting topic mainly because it shows how the American's views on democracy is slightly different than the ones internationally. In America, after the invasion had ended, Time publications stated that it was "broad popular support" and that many Americans felt that what they did was justified for the sake of democracy. Especially in Grenada where they named the day the invasion took place as a national holiday, Thanksgiving to celebrate being freeing several political prisoners.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_invasion_of_Grenada