Trump's Venezuela Strikes Signal Shift in U.S. Strategy in Western Hemisphere
Trump’s strikes against Venezuela are portrayed as an early move aimed at toppling Nicolás Maduro, effectively decapitating his leadership. However, Maduro’s leadership continues to be contested by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who maintains Maduro’s position and rejects U.S. control despite initial plans reportedly contemplating keeping her in power.
The administration’s approach reflects ambitions for dominance in the Western Hemisphere, signaling what the article describes as a 'Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine. This is evident in the National Security Strategy’s goal to remove external influences in the region.
U.S. warfare in the hemisphere is framed as evolving from counterterrorism efforts to combating 'narco-terror,' citing threats that include migrants, gangs, cartels, and what is termed 'the enemy from within.' The piece highlights the difficulty of regime-change wars, noting they are easy to start but hard to win. It warns that even a successful, pro-American Venezuela could encourage broader U.S. attempts to reshape the region.
The article also references Trump’s wider ambitions beyond Venezuela, including the annexation of Greenland and retaking the Panama Canal, with warnings about potential future actions involving Mexico and Cuba. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s warnings about Cuba are noted.
Venezuela's population stands at approximately 28 million. For context, the ongoing Ukraine invasion is mentioned as having caused around 1.5 million casualties, underscoring the high stakes involved in such conflicts.
A February 22, 2022 remark by Trump about applying invasion-style tactics to the U.S. southern border is connected to the Venezuela episode, illustrating the administration’s broader strategic mindset.
