October 27: On This Day in World History … briefly
The invasion resulted in the appointment of an interim government, followed by democratic elections in 1984. The country has remained a democratic nation since then.
1983: Reagan defends Granada invasion
US President Ronald Reagan defended his decision to send a 2 000-strong force of Marines and Army Rangers into the Caribbean island of Grenada. The invasion, he said, had saved the country from becoming a ‘Soviet-Cuban colony’. The seven-nation expeditionary force was finally in control.
A spokesperson for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States said that the concern about military build-up in Grenada prompted member states to ask the US for help.
The further destabilisation caused by the overthrow of Grenada’s PM Maurice Bishop earlier in October was the final straw. Beyond the Caribbean, the invasion was seen as a violation of international law.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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