Ep 20. Crisis in Central American 1: Yankee Years

In season 3, episode 20 of Frontline, titled "Crisis in Central America 1: Yankee Years," viewers are taken on a journey through the history of U.S. involvement in Central America. The episode begins by highlighting how for many years, Central America was viewed as America's backyard - a place that U.S. policymakers believed required their protection.

The episode examines the Cold War era and how the U.S. became involved in Guatemala, supporting a military coup that overthrew the democratic government. This was one of the first interventions in Central America by the U.S. and set the stage for decades of U.S. intervention in the region. The episode also explores how U.S. policies during this time contributed to the rise of leftist guerrillas and how the U.S. government's response to this was to provide military aid to local governments, a pattern that would continue for years to come.

The episode then shifts its focus to El Salvador, where a civil war raged for over a decade, beginning in the late 1970s. The U.S. provided significant military aid to the Salvadoran government during this time, even though their military forces committed various human rights abuses. The show interviews former U.S. ambassador Robert White, who speaks to the U.S. role supporting the Salvadoran government despite knowing of the atrocities they were committing.

The documentary also examines the impact of the Iran-Contra scandal, which involved the U.S. government secretly selling weapons to Iran to fund Contra rebels fighting against the democratically elected government of Nicaragua. The show goes on to explain why Reagan and his administration supported the Contras and how Congress ultimately thwarted the administration's efforts to finance these groups.

Throughout the episode, the show explores how U.S. policies in these countries, while rooted in a fear of communism, often resulted in the suppression of democratic movements and human rights abuses. The involvement of the U.S. in Central America set the stage for the current crisis in the region - migration from Central America to the U.S. Because of its history with the region and the consequences of the U.S.'s interventions, the show argues that the U.S. should be doing more to address the root causes of migration instead of turning away refugees at the border.

Overall, “Crisis in Central America 1: Yankee Years” is an engaging and informative episode of Frontline. Through in-depth interviews with policymakers, military officials and local citizens affected by U.S. policies, the documentary provides a nuanced understanding of how U.S. actions have had far-reaching consequences for the region. By examining the past, the episode underscores the importance of addressing the root causes of current issues in Central America rather than just treating the symptoms.