CIA Covert Operations: Panama and NicaraguaIn the 1950s, the repression of domestic political dissent bordered on hysteria. In doing so, the CIA's covert operations, already underway in Europe, expanded throughout the world. By 1953, according to the 1970s Senate investigation, major secret programs were underway in 48 countries, including propaganda, paramilitary, and political action operations. In 1949, the agency's covert actions department had approximately 300 employees and 47 stations. During the same period, the budget for these activities increased from $4.7 million to $82 million. In this article, I will discuss the use of covert actions by the United States using Panama and Nicaragua as examples. I had planned to write my article about Manuel Noriega and his dealings with the CIA, but the more I read about him, the more I found the main topic concerning him to be much more interesting. So I will continue with this article showing my findings about the CIA and its covert operations. Covert operations have become a way of life and death for millions of people around the world who have lost their lives due to these actions. By 1980, covert operations cost billions of dollars. CIA Director William Casey was quoted as saying that "covert action was the cornerstone of American policy in the Third World." (Agee, 2) Throughout the CIA's 45-year history, one president after another has used covert operations to intervene covertly, and sometimes not so covertly. , in the internal affairs of other countries, assuming that their affairs were ours. Almost always, the money was spent on activities aimed at supporting political forces seen as friendly to American interests, or to weaken and destroy those seen as hostile or threatening. define, these were those who believed and acted like us, took orders and cooperated. Until the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, enemies were also easily recognized: the Soviet Union and its allies, with China having an ambiguous status since the 1970s. But there were other countries against which the CIA took actions that were not associated with the Soviets: Iran in 1953, Guatemala in 1954, Indonesia in 1958, Cuba in 1959, Ecuador in 1963, Brazil in 1964, Chile in 1970, Nicaragua in 1979 and Grenada. in 1983 to name a few. (Agee, 2) These governments, and others attacked by the United States, were left-wing, nationalist, reformist, populist, or uncooperative, and American hostility caused some of them to seek arms and other support from the Soviets. Union.Usually, the CIA organized covert operations to weaken and destroy programs supporting communism by directing and promoting anti-communist solidarity. Local elites, whose privileged position was also threatened by the movements