The United States has a long history of covert and overt military action on the African Continent and in Latin America and the Caribbean. During the Cold War, the U.S. government supported dictators and unpopular governments whose leaders served U.S. and corporate interests over those of their citizens.

At present, the U.S. military and intelligence community is active in these regions selling arms, training military forces and military officers, and making use of military bases for U.S. operations. Many of these bases have been accessed primarily to support anti-terror operations.

In 2007, twenty African nations purchased weapons and other military equipment from the U.S. government. The U.S. government also provided low-interest loans to foreign governments to finance arms purchases from the U.S. government or from private U.S. companies. The amount of U.S. military aid, training and arms sales to Latin America and the Caribbean is also troubling. The region received $5.4 billion USD in aid between 2000-2007, two-thirds of which went to Colombia to eradicate drugs.

U.S. military aid has increased sharply since the beginning of the war on terrorism and threatens to exacerbate conflict, diminish national budgets and sidetrack development programs. TransAfrica Forum is working with partners in the U.S., in parts of the African Continent and in Latin America and the Caribbean to challenge and monitor U.S military action.

More on TransAfrica Forum's work on U.S. Militarization:
• AFRICOM
• John McCain's Visit to Colombia
• Somalia
• Somalia, Ethiopia and the U.S. Global War on Terror
• Ethiopia and the Militarization of U.S. Aid