AH Challenge: a war between a Latin American country and an islamic one

No Latin American country, not even Brazil, has the power projection necessary to pull this off.

But do they have to? There is nothing these saying it cannot be supported by another power. Cuba did just this fighting the South Africans in Angola, using Soviet logistical support to get the job done. That might count against the "first world nation involved" part, but maybe not, if none of their guys are doing the fighting.

Juanml82's scenario is interesting. It would, however, require Argentina's carrier to have better airplanes, a toughie since Super Etendards and Skyhawks aren't gonna do much to stop a land-based air force. If we go far back, to WWII's aftermath, we can change that, I think. I was thinking that Brazil and Argentina, having been major supporters of the war effort (and in Brazil's case a belligerent), the United States decides to include them in the Marshall Plan, along with Mexico, which also contributed. Peron never comes to power or his influence is reduced to the point that Argentina and Brazil have stable governments and major economic growth in the 1950s and 1960s, leaving Argentina firmly in the first world camp by the oil crisis and Brazil most of the way there. Having been helped by the United States to such a level, they are both pro-West (maybe even NATO members) and maintain powerful armed forces. The Falklands never comes to be much of an issue, as Argentina would rather be friends with the United Kingdom than have the Islas Malvinas for themselves. Hence, both nations have much bigger economies and much stronger militaries by the 1990s.

As with the West, they are targeted by Islamic Terrorism. Hezbollah does the attack in Buenos Aires in 1992, and Argentina angrily demands Syria and Lebanon arrest those responsible. They refuse. Argentina sends an aircraft carrier and naval forces, including Marines, to Lebanon to make a statement. Syrian AF fighters attack this force, and the Argentines fight back. Angered, the Argentinian Marines land in Lebanon briefly, and Argentinian carrier aircraft attack Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
 
Gather 'round, folks, and prepare to have your mind blown.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Trinidad_and_Tobago

Muslims constitute 6 percent of the population on Trinidad and Tobago, representing 65,318 individuals. The majority live in Trinidad but there are a handful in Tobago as well. The first Muslims to arrive in the country arrived from Africa brought as slaves by the colonists.
...
There are many mosques and Eid ul Fitr is a public holiday. In 2005, an Islamic television channel IBN Channel 8 was born.
...

On Friday July 27, 1990, 114 members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, led by Yasin Abu Bakr and Bilaal Abdullah attempted to stage a coup d'état against the government of Trinidad and Tobago.A pardon was obtained at gunpoint for the members of this group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaat_al_Muslimeen_coup_attempt

On Friday July 27, 1990, 114 members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, led by Yasin Abu Bakr and Bilaal Abdullah (located at the Red House) attempted to stage a coup d'état against the government of Trinidad and Tobago. Forty-two insurgents stormed the Red House (the seat of Parliament) and took the Prime Minister, A.N.R. Robinson and most of his Cabinet hostage, including Horace James, while seventy-two of their compatriots attacked the offices of Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT), then the only television station in the country at that time and the Trinidad Broadcasting Company, then one of only two radio stations in the country. At 6.00 p.m. Yasin Abu Bakr appeared on television and announced that the government had been overthrown, and that he was negotiating with the Army. He called for calm, and said that there should be no looting.

The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and the Police responded by sealing off the area around the Red House. Widespread looting and arson took place in Port of Spain and other parts of the East-West Corridor, but the remainder of the country was calm. A State of Emergency was declared by Acting President Emmanuel Carter and Martial Law was imposed. Several members of Cabinet who had not been present in the Red House at the time of the attack set up office in the Trinidad Hilton. On the night of the 27th the Army took control of the TTT transmitter on Cumberland Hill, thus taking TTT off the air. After six days of negotiation, the Muslimin surrendered on August 1, and were taken into custody. They were tried for treason, but the Court of Appeal upheld the amnesty offered to secure their surrender, and they were released. The Privy Council later invalidated the amnesty, but the Muslimeen members were not re-arrested.

About 24 people died during the coup attempt, with millions in property losses. Among the dead was Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central, Leo Des Vignes. Many people saw the coup attempt as the end of power of the National Alliance for Reconstruction government.

In late July/early August 2010, the court ruled that many properties owned by the Jamaat,would be sold to make up for the cost of the destruction of buildings in the 1990 Coup. An enquiry has formally been launched and is taking place currently as of January 26th 2011.

There was nearly an Islamist coup in the western fucking hemisphere. Uncle Sam's backyard pond. In the '90s.

I've already added this to the "things that look like AH" thread, incidentally.

So, yeah, you just need to get Cuba or hell Mexico angry enough and they invade it, boom.
 

Zeus

Banned
Not sure how realistic this is, but some Latin American country decides to send a small number of troops to help the South Sudanese in their war against the North, feeling that doing this gesture will allow them to receive favorable oil deals if/when South Sudan becomes independent.
 
Or instead of going in 'pagan' africa, the cuban regiments of the Che would have adventured in a muslim countries of africa or affar with communist uprising. Or maybe South (?) Yemen?
 
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