Nost: I spent three years in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras as a military advisor. We used to call Guatemala “the Land of Very Bad Things” because of the genocidal nature of the government.

You want to view a real tool, go Google General Rios Montt, who ran the show for a bit. Guy was a homicidal nutjob who believed God Himself appointed him to cleanse the country of communism. No lie.

Guatemala was overrun with former Mossad and IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) dudes as well. Definitely a no bueno situation.

Guatemala was another government that was overthrown with US (read CIA) help in 1954.

Someone on another thread submitted a comment from retired Marine Smedley Butler, who was the point man for the US in the Caribbean during the Banana Wars (1900 – 1940) when the US was either deposing unfriendly leaders and replacing them with pro-US leaders or was shoring up various oligarchies, families or businesses down there.

The manual that we used was the USMC Guide to Small Wars, circa 1940. Fascinating book, and still in use to this day. I have a buddy down in Bogota who is using it at present.

Again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.