Should America Go to War in Venezuela? Let's Study that Time America Invaded Cuba

As events continue unfolding in chaotic Venezuela, the big question on everyone’s mind is whether the United States will use its military to force Maduro out. As Trump continues to grapple with the decision, it might be instructive to consider the last time an American president faced such a decision. John F. Kennedy’s failure at the Bay of Pigs forever tarnished his presidency—and the negative consequences still plague our country.Sixty years ago, Fidel Castro led a revolution in Cuba that ousted the U.S.-supported dictator, Fulgencio Batista. While Batista brutally repressed the population of Cuba, he had been very accommodating to U.S. tourism and business interests. Many powerful figures in the United States, therefore, were none too happy when Castro took over. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of them.As Castro drifted closer and closer to the communist regime in the USSR, Eisenhower became warier. In July 1960, two U.S.-owned oil refineries in Cuba refused to refine crude oil for Soviet tankers, so Castro nationalized (stole) the refineries, infuriating Eisenhower, who retaliated by almost eliminating U.S. purchases of Cuban sugar (their main money crop). Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev offered to buy all the sugar Eisenhower had rejected.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2J3CPni