AH Challenge: Major U.S. War in South America

South America is the only region in the world where the USA has yet to fight a major conflict. (North America, Europe, Middle East, Pacific , East Asia, and Africa [WW2] all happened.)

Is there any way to get an invasion sometime post-1900? How would it go?
 
Well, if you count Cuba, they HAVE fought a war in Latin America. If you specifically need South America, I think your best bet is to have the United States stay out of Vietnam, thus freeing up resources that might be engaged in a South American war. Your best bet would probably be a war in Chile where Allende is more willing to arm his supporters and a military coup leads to a civil war instead of a clear junta. The Americans would be slowly drawn into the war with advisors, then eventually real ground troops, as Communists from all over Latin America come to the Andes to fight while a leftist Peruvian junta sneaks weapons into the country. The Soviets could easily arm the Chileans with light equipment too; lots of coastline and not a lot of people.

Another possibility could be the collapse of the Colombian government and a FARQ victory in a civil war. The Americans would probably directly intervene in this case to crush the new Communist government.
 
I think people are getting latin america confused with south america. South america is everything on the american continent to the south of the Panama Canal. Latin america is the american continent south of the rio grande river.
 
Best bet - some South American nation (Argentina?) goes fascist in WWII. Some particularly dumb general in Buenos Aires is convinced the Falklands are his after the Fall of France, and joins the Axis. After Pearl Harbor, the US Army gets an early education squishing the Argentinian Army.

Mike Turcotte
 

BlondieBC

Banned
Have South America enter European alliance system. For Example Brazil is CP, Argentina is Entente. If you still have WW1, you will get major USA action down there.
 
Best bet - some South American nation (Argentina?) goes fascist in WWII. Some particularly dumb general in Buenos Aires is convinced the Falklands are his after the Fall of France, and joins the Axis. After Pearl Harbor, the US Army gets an early education squishing the Argentinian Army.

Mike Turcotte

It won't happen: even if Argentina goeas fascists, the disparity of forces would be far greater, so no one would try.

There's something else: till around 1960, Great Britain was one of our main buyers of good (mainly beef and wheat). We sold them these goods, and we get capital and manufactured goods. That scheme started fading off around 1930, but was still well in force during the early 40ies. By late 1950ies, it was practically gone. The final blow would come later, when GB joined the EU and adopted the Agrarian Common Policy. But, in any case, a war between Argentina and Great britain when this scheme was in place, started by Argentina, is very unlifely, since both country were in a relation of commercial interdependency. No such thing existead, instead, in 1982.
 
Have South America enter European alliance system. For Example Brazil is CP, Argentina is Entente. If you still have WW1, you will get major USA action down there.

This gave me an idea: I believe that if, for example, the US had joined the CP, you might have a pro-American Brazil against a pro-British Argentina, for example.

After all, the main influential powers in South America during the early years of the XX century where the US and Britian, so, if they fight between each other, that fighting might extend to their allies...

Think of a greater chaco war, for example, between one side supported by the US and the other by Great Britain. At first the fighting is done only by South America, and the US and GB only give indirect support to their side. But then the conflict escalates and at least one side (let's say, the US) starts sending troops.

It's that or you've got to have one of US' rivals get much more influence in South America (Germany?, the USSR? Japan?). The main reason why the US hasn't fought a major war here is that the region has been mostly in the American sphere of influence or, at most, during the early XX century, under the British influence (being GB a British ally). So you'd need either Britain to be hostile to the US when it was still influential in the region, or have other outside power be influential enough to make the US see this as a threat serious enought to justify intervention. In this sense, I think the cold war, the fear os fsoviet inflience and a Communist revolution in one of the great South American countries might justify this...
 
This gave me an idea: I believe that if, for example, the US had joined the CP, you might have a pro-American Brazil against a pro-British Argentina, for example.

South America actually had a dreadnought race in the early 20th century.

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

Perhaps this escalation leads to war where the ABC powers link up with a European donor.

Argentina goes with Britain.
Chile and Brazil go with Germany.

USA goes to war with Brazil and Chile when they enter in 1917.
 
There were a handful of crises between Venezuela and European states around the turn of the last century that could have lead to US intervention because of the Monroe Doctrine. The Crisis in 1895 was with the UK over the border with Guyana, and the Crisis of 1902-3 was with the Brits, Germans, and Italians over unpaid debts. A more belligerent US government that isn't at war with the Spaniards would likely through its full weight behind Venezuela with interesting consequences.
 

mowque

Banned
In my TL, a war in 1902, has a war with UK/Germany vrs USA break out.

Over time, this causes America to be more heavy handed in the Caribbean (ie, move involved in Cuba and Banana republics).

Another butterfly is a Communist Brazil, in 1925. Th is on the heels of a major war/depression in the USA so it doesn't go to outright war but they support a supporting rebellion.

But to the OP, America could easily get even more involved in Central America early on.
 
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