The officers on the beach and the African sailors at the heart of the ship How did the United States start a war with Spain?

The United States began its first campaigns to control the world by expelling European countries from their colonies in Latin America and developed the "Monroe" principle and covered it, as usual, with flashy slogans.

On the face of it, the famous "Doctrine" delivered to Congress by US President James Monroe on December 2, 1823 called for "the independence of all the nations of the Western Hemisphere against European interference."

In essence, the Monroe Doctrine provides for preventing European countries from establishing new colonies in the Americas, and working to stop the expansion of existing colonies near their borders.

The brightest example of the reality of the "Monroe Doctrine" and similar American methods appears in the scenario of the conflict with Spain in the 1980s, starting with a massive media campaign depicting it as a "brutal and bloody" enemy and a "oppressive state of freedom", and then encouraging the local population to revolt and revolution and providing them with support. And the opportunity comes to expel this enemy from its colonies, and take its place!

Washington paved the way at that distant time for the war against Spain with the aim of extracting colonies in Cuba, the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

Washington had prepared at the end of the nineteenth century a plan for massive expansion in countries that could serve as bases for raw materials and markets. Those Spanish colonies in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia were seen as a springboard for the expansion of American monopolies towards the East and Latin America, so military bases in Cuba were necessary to protect the sea routes.

Drumming media campaign:

Spain did not want to go to war with the United States. She was weak and had no allies. The press was filled with a broad American campaign with stories about the "brutality" of the Spanish colonialists, while at the same time, supporting the "national liberation" revolutions that undermined the current government and opened the doors of American intervention, which was prefaced by the advance penetration of American capital.

By the end of the nineteenth century, American companies in Cuba controlled almost all raw sugar and tobacco production. By supporting the local rebels with weapons, Washington hoped to receive political power from the hands of the victorious rebels, but the Spanish governor-general of the island brutally suppressed the rebellion, and the United States had no way to control Cuba except to enter into direct war with Spain.

Provocation and seeking a pretext for war:

The United States had no formal reason to attack Spain, and the end of January 1898 had to create a pretext for conflict with Spain by means of provocation.

The Americans sent the cruiser USS Maine into Cuban waters, selling it as a peaceful and friendly visit. Spain, fearing an aggravation of the situation with the United States, allowed the American warship to enter the waters of Havana.

The excuse is not late! A tragic and mysterious accident occurred on February 15, 1898, the American cruiser "Maine" exploded and sank, killing about 261 American sailors.

Strange coincidences in the United States:

It is remarkable that a strange coincidence occurred in this tragic accident, all the officers were at the moment of the explosion on the beach, and all the dead were sailors of African descent.

All evidence indicated that the explosion was triggered from inside the ship, but the United States insisted that a naval mine was the cause and blamed Spain. Back then the Spanish had no reason to start a war, but the United States got a proper argument.

The cruiser "Maine" was considered an unsuccessful combat ship. The blast split it in half and it quickly sank. No dead fish floated at the scene, which would have indicated an underwater explosion.

The wreckage of the cruiser raised in 1910 confirmed the matter. The American warship was not destroyed by a mine or a torpedo, and the possibility of an explosion of the steam boilers was also ruled out. The investigation was kept secret until 1911, when the evidence was destroyed.

An American commission arrived in Havana to investigate the incident of 1898, and hastened to announce that "the treacherous Spaniards blew up our cruiser with a mine," and then began preparations for war. The American press circulated a slogan saying: "Let's remember who!"

On April 19, 1898, the United States demanded that Spain abandon Cuba, and at the same time began mobilizing volunteers and deploying the fleet. The Americans proceeded to intercept Spanish ships in the Caribbean, and on April 22, war was formally declared.

The main fighting took place at sea, and the Spanish naval forces were weak and with outdated weapons, and lacked training and combat experience. The Americans managed to inflict heavy defeats on the Spanish fleet in Cuba and the Philippines, and its land forces were defeated in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and the Spanish lost more than two thousand dead, and about 500 soldiers fell in battles from the American side.

Spain surrendered, on August 13, 1898, and under the terms of the Paris Treaty of "Peace", transferred control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico and the island of Guam to the United States, while Madrid received $20 million in compensation!

Nominally, Cuba was declared an independent state, but in reality it became dependent on the United States, and an American military base appeared in Guantanamo Bay, which changed by replacing the Spanish colonizer with the American one. And this principle still works! The United States is still seizing opportunities and creating pretexts to get rid of its opponents with flashy slogans.

Source: RT

US intelligence reports: The Chinese President issued an order to prepare to invade Taiwan

The director of the American Intelligence Agency said that his country reports that the Chinese president has instructed the army to prepare to invade Taiwan by 2027, adding that the support of the United States and allies to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian attack may serve as a potential deterrent to the Chinese now.

CIA Director William Burns said that his country's intelligence reports indicate that Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed his country's army to "prepare to invade Taiwan by 2027," despite his current doubts about his ability to do so due to Russia's experience in its war with Ukraine.

In a televised interview broadcast Sunday, Burns stressed the need for the United States to take Xi's desire to take over Taiwan "very seriously," even if military conflict is not the inevitable outcome.

"We know that President Xi instructed the People's Liberation Army to prepare to invade Taiwan by 2027, but that doesn't mean he decided to launch the invasion in 2027 or any other year," Burns said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation."

He continued, "I think our judgment is at least that President Xi and his military leadership have doubts today about the possibility of success of that invasion."

Taiwan broke away from China in 1949 after a civil war that ended with the Communist Party taking control of the mainland. The self-governing island has behaved like a sovereign state so far, though it is not recognized by the United Nations or any major country.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter officially recognized the Beijing government and cut off direct relations with Taiwan. In response, Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, setting the standard for a continued relationship between the two countries.

Taiwan has received many forms of official US support for the island's democracy in the face of growing displays of force by Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, the latest of which was President Joe Biden's assertion that US forces would defend Taiwan if China attempted to invade it.

The White House said that US policy has not changed, while stressing Washington's desire to resolve the Taiwan situation peacefully.

Burns said in an interview Sunday that the support of the United States and European allies for Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia's attack on that country could be a potential deterrent to Chinese officials for now, but he said the risks of a possible attack on Taiwan would be more powerful.