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Article: Lessons Unlearned.(American military operations in Panama, the Persian Gulf, and southeastern Europe)
- Article from:
- The National Interest
- Article date:
- June 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 The National Interest, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A Comparison of Three American Wars
OPERATION Just Cause, code name for the invasion of Panama in December 1989, was the first serious exercise of military power by the United States during the post-Cold War era. It would prove to be everything that subsequent U.S. military operations were not: a rapid, decisive application of overwhelming might that removed a petty tyrant from power, left a lasting imprint on local and regional politics, and brought democracy to an oppressed people. Given the peculiar pattern of U.S. military operations since 1989--whereby military power has been employed in an increasingly halting and feckless manner, producing less and less of ...