<P> At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the US carried on several military interventions under principles of Big Stick policy in what became known as the Banana Wars . The term arose from the connections between the interventions and the preservation of US commercial interests . An example is the United Fruit corporation, which had significant financial stakes in production of bananas, tobacco, sugar cane, and various other agricultural products throughout the Caribbean, Central America and the northern portions of South America . US citizens advocating imperialism in the pre--World War I era often argued that these conflicts helped central and South Americans by aiding in stability . Some imperialists argued that these limited interventions did not serve US interests sufficiently and argued for expanded actions in the region . Anti-imperialists argued that these actions were a first step down a slippery slope towards US colonialism in the region . </P> <P> Some modern observers have argued that if World War I had not lessened American enthusiasm for international activity these interventions might have led to the formation of an expanded U.S. colonial empire, with Central American states either annexed into statehood like Hawaii or becoming American territories, like the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam . However, this view is heavily disputed, especially as, after a decrease in activity during and after World War I, the U.S. government intervened again in the 1920s while again stating that no colonial ambitions were held . The Banana Wars ended with the 1933 Good Neighbor Policy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt; no official American colonies had been created . </P> <P> The countries involved in the Banana Wars include: </P> <Ul> <Li> Cuba--Sometimes not counted among the banana wars, as the Platt Amendment granted the United States the right to militarily intervene on any occasion in which Cuba's independence was threatened </Li> <Li> Dominican Republic </Li> <Li> Honduras </Li> <Li> Haiti </Li> <Li> Nicaragua </Li> <Li> Colombia </Li> <Li> Panama </Li> </Ul>

Describe the similarities among major events in latin american countries during the cold war