Podcast Summary: U.S. Interventions in Latin America: A Short History

Podcast: Dan Snow's History Hit
Episode Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Dan Snow
Guest: Daniel Immerwahr, author of How to Hide an Empire and Professor at Northwestern University

Overview of the Episode's Main Theme

This episode examines the long, often controversial history of U.S. interventions and influence across Latin America, set against the modern backdrop of recent interventions under President Donald Trump. Dan Snow and historian Daniel Immerwahr explore the roots of American expansionism, the transformation of U.S. imperial approaches, and the cyclical nature of informal and formal power in the Western Hemisphere. The conversation traces from the Monroe Doctrine to contemporary "Dunro Doctrine" discourse, analyzing motives, methods, and consequences of nearly two centuries of U.S. involvement in its "backyard."

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Foundations of U.S. Expansionism

• Conquest as American Character:
  • The U.S. was forged through expansion and conquest, similar to other empires (Britain, Spain, France).
  • Daniel Immerwahr (05:58): "The United States starts out way smaller than it currently is...only through a series of wars and purchases that it sort of fills out that familiar shape."
• Population Preferences and Racism:
  • Expansion was often strategic to avoid incorporating large non-white populations, e.g., the U.S.-Mexico border after the Mexican-American War.
  • Immerwahr (08:00): "US leaders want lands, but not densely populated land...it doesn't want heavily populated territory that would then have to incorporate those people."

2. The Monroe Doctrine and Its Legacy

• Origins and Misconceptions:
  • The Monroe Doctrine began as an unenforceable notion that Europe should not meddle in American affairs.
  • Immerwahr (08:49): "The Monroe Doctrine is one of the most massively known, misunderstood things in U.S. history...It is three non sequential paragraphs in a...State of the Union address."
• Roosevelt Corollary and 'Big Stick' Policy:
  • In the early 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt reinterpreted the doctrine to justify active U.S. intervention throughout the hemisphere.
  • Immerwahr (10:04): "He then said...the United States has a right to, quote, unquote, protect the Americas from European interference, which might involve, I don't know, running their customs houses."

3. Formal vs. Informal Empire

• From Colonization to Control:
  • As the U.S. matured, direct colonial endeavors gave way to subtler forms of domination—controlling local economies, militaries, and politics without outright annexation.
  • Immerwahr (13:32): "We often call that informal empire...all the substance of empire without none of the officialities."
  • Bloody counter-insurgency wars (e.g., the Philippines) led to greater preference for less direct intervention strategies.
• Dollar Diplomacy and Gunboat Diplomacy:
  • The U.S. routinely intervened militarily in Caribbean and Central American nations, seizing economic institutions (like customs houses) to exert dominance.
  • Immerwahr (14:39): "Let's be clear. It's by sending in the Marines. You sent in the Marines...and you seize the customs houses."

4. The Post-WWII Era and Cold War Interventions

• Decline of Formal Empire:
  • The aftermath of WWII hastened the end of open colonialism. The U.S. granted independence to the Philippines and made territories like Hawaii and Alaska states but retained indirect control over Puerto Rico and other territories.
  • Immerwahr (16:21): "By 1965, it's more like one out of 50 who are colonized...The United States has an enormous amount of power, and it doesn't generally try to express that power...by seizing acres."
• Cold War Covert Operations:
  • The U.S. used both "carrot and stick": compliant governments received aid, while defiant ones faced coup attempts or intervention.
  • 64 attempted U.S. interventions/overthrows during the Cold War, with 25 successful.
  • Immerwahr (19:10): "States that defy the United States are likely to find themselves on the wrong end of a coup attempt."

5. U.S. Motives: Economic and Political

• Resource Protection vs. Ideological Fears:
  • Some coups and interventions (e.g., Guatemala 1954) were to protect American business interests; others were driven by anti-communism and systemic credibility concerns.
  • Immerwahr (21:20): "Some interventions do seem motivated...by there is this resource in this country and it's being nationalized...But the United States is also interested in the system."

6. Tactical Details and Memorable Covert Interventions

• Guatemala 1954 as a Case Study:
  • The U.S. used psychological warfare, disinformation, and radio broadcasts (Radio Swan) to create panic and topple the government threatening United Fruit's dominance.
  • Immerwahr (22:48): "It's a coup attempt...But what you have to do is get a critical mass of people...thinking this is going to happen."
  • Notable radio disinformation: "The fish will rise tonight. You know, Pedro is in the house. These mean nothing, but they sound like they're orders to battalions that are about to invade."
• The Legacy of Puppet Regimes:
  • Pro-U.S. coup leaders often failed to govern stably, leading to cycles of violence and repression.
  • Immerwahr (25:49): "Those people are really bad at governing...Castillo Armas doesn't hold on for that long. The story of Guatemala is...cycles of repression and violence."

7. Contemporary Parallels and Trump Era

• The 'Dunro Doctrine':
  • Trump’s brashness in asserting U.S. hemispheric control recalls the imperial era, now rebranded with memes and new rhetoric but deeply anchored in history.
  • Dan Snow (02:25): "Trump...sort of asserting that the Western hemisphere was the USA's hemisphere...a direct echo of early 20th century images of Uncle Sam bestriding the Americas."
• Show of Force Without Boots on the Ground:
  • Recent operations, such as the abduction of Maduro, echo tactics from Noriega’s capture, emphasizing surgical interventions over costly occupations.
  • Immerwahr (24:36): "You want shows of force and you want decisive, scary, surprising acts..."
• Return of ‘Annexation Talk’:
  • Trump's public musing about acquiring Greenland, occupying Venezuela, and (briefly) annexing territory marks a rhetorical regression to 19th-century thinking.
  • Immerwahr (29:13): "It's a really startling reversion to the kind of politics...19th and early 20th century forms of politics."

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Motivations for Expansion:
  • Immerwahr: "It is only through a series of wars and purchases that it sort of fills out that familiar shape." (05:58)
• On the Monroe Doctrine:
  • Immerwahr: "It is three non-sequential paragraphs in a...State of the Union address...no enforcement mechanism...just a kind of articulation, speculation of a we would like it if this didn't happen." (08:49)
• On Informal Empire:
  • Snow: "So they kind of take the bits that they want."
  • Immerwahr: "They take the bits they want, yeah." (15:18)
• On U.S. Coup Playbook:
  • Immerwahr: "It's a coup attempt...try to create such a sense of panic and inevitability that it will bring the government down. So part of that is...a high-powered radio station...blasting disinformation." (22:48)
• On Symbolic Bluster vs. Direct Action:
  • Immerwahr: "Trump wants control of oil sales and oil production in Venezuela. And if he can have that, he would let the rest go hang." (15:30)
• On Contemporary Rhetoric:
  • Immerwahr: "Trump seems completely uninterested in making that kind of argument...He just started talking about oil: ‘We want their oil, our oil, as he called it.’" (31:37)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:25: Dan Snow introduces the Monroe Doctrine, Trump’s “Dunro Doctrine,” and the trope of U.S. hemispheric dominance.
• 05:34: Opening discussion on U.S. expansion as a project of conquest.
• 08:00: The rationale behind U.S. choosing which territories to annex.
• 08:49: Origins, meaning, and legacy of the Monroe Doctrine.
• 10:04: Teddy Roosevelt’s corollary—U.S. policing the Americas.
• 13:32: The mechanics of informal empire and dollar/gunboat diplomacy.
• 16:21: WWII and the decline of formal empire for the U.S. and globally.
• 19:10: Cold War coups—scope and statistics for U.S. interventions.
• 22:48: The CIA coup in Guatemala and the role of psychological operations.
• 29:05: The Panama Canal zone as a gray area of empire; Trump’s appropriative rhetoric.
• 30:21: The Noriega case and its modern resonance.
• 31:17: Trump’s break with “rules-based order” rhetoric.

Conclusion

The conversation with Daniel Immerwahr powerfully illustrates the deep historical roots and persistent realities underlying U.S. interventions in Latin America. While presidents and tactics have shifted—from outright war and annexation, to covert coups, to economic pressure and information warfare—the episode reveals a consistent drive for influence, up to and including the current administration. By connecting the dots from the Monroe Doctrine to today’s headlines, the show provides an accessible yet nuanced primer on why and how the U.S. has long sought to “take care of business” in its own backyard.