Grenada,+1983

Home Small War Project Assignment Small Wars Topics

October 25, 1983-December 15, 1983: Operation Urgent Fury. Elena Medich, Lucas Sencio
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Tasks I: Explain the nature and scope of the conflict.-- Due Friday, November 18th
 * •When** did the conflict begin and end?
 * •Who** were the belligerents?
 * •What** was the problem or issue?
 * •Why** was military action necessary?
 * •Why** was the United States’ interested in the conflict?
 * •How** was the problem resolved?

Operation Urgent Fury or the invasion of Grenada took place on October 23, 1983 and ended that winter.America invaded with the goal "...to overthrow a Marxist government which had murdered socialist Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and seized power the previous week. Cuban troops and construction workers were present on the island, building an airport which it was feared would be used for military purposes, and 1,000 American students were believed to be in danger" (ABC-CLIO 1). These students were on the island of Grenada at the time and Ronald Regan decided to launch the attack in order to protect them.

"Ronald Reagan: Address to the Nation on Events in Lebanon and Grenada (1983)." //World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//. ABC-CLIO,2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

"U.S. Intervention in Grenada, 1983." Map. //World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//. ABC-CLIO,2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

As mentioned in the first paragraph, Ronald Reagan believed that 1,000 students were in danger, and after the assassination of the Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, there wasn't anything else to do but send the military over to the Island of Grenada to solve the problem. The island was being overrun by communists, and the U.S. government found out that the Cubans in Grenada were "building a 10,000-foot airstrip" (PBS) which made President Reagan even more concerned. The U.S. military was sent to Grenada to overthrow the communist government being settled in the wholly socialist island. in less than 3 months the war was over, the U.S. had not only won the war but they also won " major public relations coup for the recently battered administration." (Countries of the World).

"The Invasion of Grenada." //PBS//. N.p., 18 Nov. 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

Web link//Countries of the World// 1 Nov. 2004: n. pag. //e-Library//. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

Draw your information from a minimum of **two** LC e-books and databases. Organize your response in an extended power paragraph. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of each source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task I.

Task II: Analyze the U.S.’s involvement in the conflict.- Due Tuesday, November 22nd •In which one of Max Boot's categories, does this small war fit--punitive, protective, pacification, or profiteering? Justify the reasons that you selected one category over another. •Who were the most important decision-makers or leaders for belligerents and justify your choices with expert opinion? How did these leaders influence the progress and outcome of the war? •Who was the U.S. president and what were his reasons for involving the military in this conflict? •Was there precedent for the U.S. to participate in small wars of this nature? •Which presidential doctrine best fits the aim or goals of this small war?

Out of all Max Boot's categories, the one that best fit operation Urgent Fury was protective. The U.S. government felt threatened by the communist occupation of Grenada, and President Ronald Regan felt the students and citizens were in great danger due to the fact that people were being assassinated for no reason. President Regan sent out the U.S. army to combat against the Cubans, the spread of communism was a big threat to the U.S., specially because both Cuba and Grenada are islands relatively close to the U.S. and its allies. If it wasn't for the U.S. army, the outcome of the war could have been totally different, "communism was spreading quickly and it could have blocked trade around nearby countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, and most of south pacific America" (Treaties in Force). The war of Grenada wasn't directed to the U.S when it started but it could have gone out of hand if it didn't step up to protect its fellow allies.

Ronald Regan launched the invasion of Grenada in 1983 because there were American students in Grenada at the time who were believed to be in danger. "President Ronald Regan said the action was necessary to protect the lives of Americans in Grenada... at St. George's University School of Medicine" (Small 2). Although it's called a "small war", troops weren't pulled out of Grenada until December 15. The doctrine that would most fit the goals of this small war is the Truman Doctrine. According to the United States Presidential Doctrines packet, "the United States [is] prepared to send any money, equipment, or military forces to countries that [are] threatened by the Communist government." That applied to Grenada in 1983 and according to President Harry S. Truman, "the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." We went into Grenada on Regan's orders and also because of the Truman Doctrine.

"U.S. Intervention in Grenada, 1983." Map. //World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//. ABC-CLIO,2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

"U.S. as World Power: Timeline." //Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society//. ABC-CLIO,2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.

Small, Stephen. "Grenada." //Wold Book Advanced//. World Book, 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011.

Draw your information from a minimum of **three** LC e-books and databases--at least one primary source and one expert opinion. Organize your response in one or two extended power paragraphs. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of the source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task II.

TASK III: How did United States' Public view this conflict? Due Tuesday, Noevmber 29th •Explain why the conflict was controversial among Americans? •Describe at least two non-governmental perspectives on this conflict and identify which one was dominant. •Evaluate the importance of the publics' opinion on the duration and outcome of this small war.

The invasion of Grenada in 1983 was controversial among Americans because there had been no other problem with Grenada before we invaded and Congress hadn't declared war against Grenada, Ronald Reagan had declared war to keep our U.S citizens safe. Grenada is a relatively peaceful country "the last foreign military incursion occurred in October 1983" (World at War 1), and so the U.S didn't view Grenada as a military threat. Although some opposed this invasion, many agreed with it, agreeing that Reagan had the right idea to keep all United States citizens safe whether they were in or out of the country. They said that Reagan was showing nationalism by protecting all citizens, in or out of the country. There way people saw mission Urgent Fury was rather personal than governmental. The people in Grenada were submerged to communists who took away their rights and privileges, also there was fear running through the entire island due to the fact that people were being assassinated. People were more intrigued that their rights and privileges were taken rather than the fact that their safety was at risk as well. The public was unable to fight back due to the supremacy of communism but they were able to get the word around which made its way to the United States, which lead to President Regan's decisions of sending out the military to "clean up" the island.

"Ronald Reagan: Address to the Nation on Events in Lebanon and Grenada (1983)." //World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//.

ABC-CLIO,2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011

"Grenada." //Country Watch//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. .

"U.S. Intervention in Grenada, 1983." Map. //World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//. ABC-CLIO,2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

Draw your information from a minimum of **three** LC e-books and databases--at least **one** primary source and **one** expert opinion. Organize your response in one or two extended power paragraphs. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of the source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task III. Task IV: Did the U.S. achieve its goals? -- Due Friday, December 2nd •How did the conflict end and how was success measured? •How did the outcome affect the U.S. standing with the American public, its allies, belligerents, and enemies? •Were the U.S. decision makers and military leaders praised or vilified?

The United States was already enemies with communist country, Cuba before 1983 so when Ronald Reagan stated that "Cuba planned to use Grenada as a military base" (Small 4), this only strengthened the dislike between the two countries. Although the United States did attack Grenada in October, six other Caribbean nations also helped with the invasion so we formed relations with those allies. In the end, the United States' decision maker (Reagan) was praised by the American public for his decision to protect U.S citizens even if they were in another country and that sent a message to other communist countries that the United States protected its members no matter where they were. The conflict ended by the expulsion of the Cubans out of Grenada, it proved once again that the U.S.'s military and navy shouldn't be underestimated.

Boyarsky, Bill. "Reagan, Ronald Wilson." //World Book Advanced.// World Book, 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.

"The Invasion of Grenada." //PBS//. N.p., 18 Nov. 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. .

Small, Stephen. "Grenada." //Wold Book Advanced//. World Book, 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011.

Draw your information from a minimum of **three** LC e-books and databases--at least **one** primary source and **two** expert opinions. Organize your response in one or two extended power paragraphs. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of the source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task III.

** Rubric for Small War Wiki: **•Answers to project questions are accurate and complete. •Information and expert opinion are selected from the **required** LC resources and are cited accurately with the credibility precisely stated. ·Maps, banners and photos are caption and cited. •Project questions are answered fully in extended power paragraphs.spelling •Writing is edited for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. *Works cited follow each task