Actually pa, I do take the dates you cast seriously:
2000... saddam - revised to 2003 (the ground invasion did not start till March).
1990... saddam - revised to 1991 (the air offensive did not start till January).
1980... Sudan - revised to 1998 (US chemical complex missile attack. Prior to this - civil war in 1962; Communist general strike in October 1964 and a national government formed; military coup installing Numeiri in May 1969; attempted Communist coup in 1971; oil discovered in Bentiu, southern Sudan in 1978 leading to; Numeiri introduces Islamic Sharia law in 1983 with civil war erupting in the Christian south involving garang's SPLM; military coup removes Numieri in 1985; miliatry coup instals the Islamic Front (NIC) in 1989; UN decides on sanctions against Sudan in 1995 - implicated in attempt on Mubarek; US attack in 1998.
1970... Granada - revised to 1983 (end-October), unless you are actually referring to the Marxist insurgency /takeover.
1960... Vietnam - revised to 1965 (Direct American involvement began in 1955 with the arrival of the first advisors. The first combat troops arrived in 1965.).
1950... Korea - yes.
1940... WW2 - not September 1939, or the annexation of the Rhineland in 1936, or the Communist led General Strike of 1923, or the French and Belgian military occupation of the Rhineland in 1921 to protect and safeguard /guarantee payment of war reparations.
As for WWII, what Roosevelt could be accused of is in not standing in the way of a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, given that he had recently been elected on a strong neutralist policy.
As it was, the Germans more feared the possibility of the Americans becoming involved.
And did not the Germans try and court the Mexicans both in WWI and in WWII?
As for China and Japan, if the Americans can be accused of gunboat diplomacy in (circa) 1926, so too can most of the European powers, both before and after that time. And, Japan, can be accused of trying to totally conquer Korea and China /Manchuria from 1930, onwards.
It seems that many of the timelines also have a European /French flavour to them, as well (WWII, Korea, Vietnam or French IndoChina including the French fought war from 1945 to their final defeat in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu).
Communism also seems to have played its role in each of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada and Sudan.
Oil may well have played a role in each of Sudan, Saddam and Saddam.
