The United States has a documented history of military interventions and support for authoritarian regimes in Latin America, dating back to the Cold War. Recent reports indicate US airstrikes in Venezuela and claims of President Nicolas Maduro's capture, echoing past accusations by Maduro and Hugo Chavez of US-backed coup attempts. Key historical interventions include the 1954 Guatemala coup, the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, and support for dictatorships in the 1970s, often framed as anti-communist actions.