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How does a trusted ally become a dangerous rival? Why do nations that once worked side by side suddenly turn against one another? In the ruthless world of geopolitics, friendships between countries are often built on convenience rather than loyalty. And when power shifts, those alliances can collapse rapidly. Here are several world leaders who once stood alongside the United States before relations dramatically deteriorated. Charles de Gaulle. There are many ways to describe Charles de Gaulle, no one can deny however his love of France and his willingness to go to extreme lengths to see his homeland prosper. During the Second World War after France was overrun by Germany, de
Gaulle was forced into exile, helped organize the Free French forces, and set up an opposition government to the Vichy collaborators. After Paris was liberated in 1944, de Gaulle headed two provisional French governments before resigning in 1946. He would return to public life becoming president of France in 1958. Regardless of its leadership, France would become a founding member of NATO in 1949. This was the crux of the falling out. Though NATO is an alliance between multiple nations, it practices an integrated command, which means that there's a single leader for its military operations, which for all practical purposes means that the various nations
and their militaries would be subordinate to the United States. If de Gaulle stood firm when his country was overrun by the Nazis, there was no way he was going to be dominated by his allies. His view of an alliance was of independent nations working together, sharing plans and resources during wartime. Being subordinate to another nation and relying on them for national defense was abhorrent to him. This was part of a larger concern of American domination of Cold War politics, which reduced France's autonomy on the international stage. An alliance he could accept, submission he would not. In March of 1966, he demanded that the United States withdraw all of its troops from France. And this caught Washington off guard, since they were under the
impression that de Gaulle was in favor of American troop withdrawals, but slowly, over time, as they were no longer needed for defense against the Soviet Union, which de Gaulle thought would diminish over time. This new shift in tone was met with anger. Secretary of State Dean Rusk reportedly asked, quote, "And those in French cemeteries as well?" More importantly, de Gaulle also removed France from NATO's integrated command. French soldiers would no longer be under American or any other nation's control. Keep in mind, they didn't leave NATO, but they would stay in the alliance on their own terms. De Gaulle wanted France to be a proud and independent nation, not subservient to another. It wasn't until 2009 when
France rejoined NATO's integrated command. Ho Chi Minh. "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If these words sound familiar, no, we're not talking about 1776 and the American Declaration of Independence. Nguyen Sinh Cung was born in 1890 in French Indochina, now Vietnam. Though he's better known by the name Ho Chi Minh. After getting an education, he would work aboard a French steamship, and would travel the world, living in Boston, New York, London, and eventually Paris, where he would become a nationalist for his native Vietnam. In the 1920s, he embraced communism and
continued his activism before the Second World War broke out. Indochina was invaded by the Japanese, and Ho Chi Minh was part of the resistance against Japanese occupation. During the war, he was assisted by the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the CIA. Working with the OSS, he and his men were a thorn in the side of the Japanese occupiers. It was this time, as well as his previous international experiences, that gave him a tremendous admiration for American ideals. On September 2nd, 1945, the day Japan officially surrendered, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence from France, and even opened his remarks with the preamble from the Declaration of Independence. He had hoped to gain US
support in their bid to gain independence from France. When push came to shove, though, the US supported France in its bid to regain control over their wayward colony. When France was pushed out in 1954, Vietnam was divided between the communist north under Ho Chi Minh and the south under Ngo Dinh Diem. The US would support the south. To Ho Chi Minh, this was a massive betrayal. He had sought US support for independence, only to be snubbed again and again. North and South Vietnam would fight for control of the country, and the US would throw its support behind the south. Ho Chi Minh, a man who based his nation's call for independence on the words of Thomas Jefferson, became its most unyielding foe. We all know what
happened next. Manuel Noriega. The Panama Canal is arguably the most valuable piece of real estate in the world, and the United States watches it like a hawk. So, the leader of Panama is under more than a little bit of pressure. After a number of coups and power grabs, Manuel Noriega consolidated power, becoming the leader of Panama in 1983. This was actually good news for the United States. For decades before taking over, he was an informant for the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and other American agencies. So, having one of their guys in power was a major victory for the US. He was a supporter of the Contras, counter-revolutionary movements that tried to overthrow the Sandinista government in nearby Nicaragua, which meant Panama was
indirectly involved in the Iran-Contra affair, which is a video in itself to explain. Noriega reported to the US about drug trafficking, money laundering, and movements of guerrilla forces, and allowed Panama to be used as a base of operations for US involvement in the region. He was, of course, paid very well for this information, with one source stating he received $10,000 a month for his information. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. Noriega often played both sides, supporting the Sandinistas on occasion, as well as the Cubans when it suited him. Even more of a concern, however, were the drug cartels. Noriega was more than happy to line his pockets with drug money. The US
was willing to look the other way, but involvement in the Iran-Contra affair, allegations were made of Noriega selling classified American tech and information. To add to this, the Canal Zone was under American control, but would be given over to Panama at the end of 1999. Noriega, once an asset, became harder to control and had become a liability, and the once beneficial relationship turned sour. In 1988, he was indicted by a grand jury on drug trafficking charges. In 1989, he ignored election results in which his challenger soundly won. And that was the final straw. In 1989, the US launched Operation Just Cause.
Noriega fled to the Vatican Embassy, where he was surrounded by US troops, surrendering days later. In 1992, he was convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering in a US federal court and sentenced to 40 years, though it was reduced to 17. After his release, he stayed in prison, since he was convicted in absentia in a French court. He would eventually be returned to Panama, spending the rest of his life in prison until his death in 2017. Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was at best an ally of convenience, but that didn't make the shift to enemy any less dramatic. After the 1979 revolution in Iran, America needed someone in the region to act as a counterbalance. In 1980, the Iran-Iraq
War broke out, which gave the US an opportunity to undermine the new Iranian regime. Officially, the US was neutral in the conflict. In reality, it had begun sharing intelligence taken from spy satellites with Iraqi leadership even before an official relationship was established in 1984. The CIA had information about Iraqi chemical weapons programs, but turned a blind eye to this since undermining Iran was a larger priority. Even with this support, the war dragged on until 1988, and Iraq was devastated, especially financially. Massively in debt, Saddam Hussein authorized the invasion of neighboring Kuwait. This was a fateful miscalculation. After negotiations broke down, the United States led a
multinational coalition to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwaiti territory. A few years before, they were sharing intelligence, but soon a month-long air campaign shredded Iraqi forces. And when the ground forces were deployed, Iraq was defeated in a matter of days. Saddam Hussein, the once ally of convenience, was now an intractable foe. After a decade of tension culminating with the concerns about Iraq stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, in 2003, another US-led coalition sought to oust Saddam Hussein from power. In December of that year, Hussein would be captured near the city of Tikrit, taken into custody, he would be placed on trial, and in 2006 would be executed for crimes against
humanity. He would be sentenced to hanging and would meet that fate in December of that year. These examples may seem cynical, but they serve as a reminder that geopolitics is complex and ever-shifting, and that a friend today may be in the crosshairs the next.
