The so-called Banana Wars, a series of occupations, police actions, and interventions involving the United States in Central America and the Caribbean, begins with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the subsequent Treaty of Paris, which gives the United States control of Cuba and Puerto Rico.

It ends with the withdraw of troops from Haiti and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy in 1934.Reasons for these conflicts are varied but are largely economic in nature.

The term "Banana Wars" arises from the connections between these interventions and the preservation of American commercial interests in the region.

Most prominently, the United Fruit Company has significant financial stakes in production of bananas, tobacco, sugar cane, and various other products throughout the Caribbean, Central America and the northern portions of South America.

The United States is also advancing its political interests, maintaining a sphere of influence and controlling the Panama Canal, critically important to global trade and naval power.