Published 05/12/2025 16:41 | Edited 12/05/2025 16:49
The new foreign policy strategy presented by the White House this Friday (5) marks a profound reorientation in the global role of the United States. Contrary to traditional planetary protagonism, the Trump administration announces that it will concentrate efforts on Latin America, transferring responsibilities to allies and withdrawing from theaters considered less of a priority for its national security.
The document justifies the movement as an “urgent military readjustment”, necessary to face supposed nearby threats and to redefine Washington’s international role. The change comes amid an unprecedented military escalation in the Caribbean and intensifying pressure against the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro.
On November 13, Secretary of Defense — who was officially addressed by the Trump administration as “Secretary of War” — Pete Hegseth announced Operation Southern Spear, which mobilizes Southern Command and a task force aimed at targeting organizations involved in international trafficking.
Resumption of the Monroe Doctrine: the explicit return of imperial logic
In one of the most alarming passages, the Strategy states that the US will “reaffirm and apply the Monroe Doctrine”, establishing a “powerful resumption” of North American predominance in Latin America.
The doctrine — historically used to legitimize invasions, interventions and coups sponsored by Washington — is repositioned as a foreign policy axis. The text goes so far as to declare that external competitors will be prevented from controlling strategic assets in the region, in a gesture aimed mainly at China, currently Brazil’s largest trading partner.
The message is direct: Latin America is once again treated as a zone of exclusive influence, subject to military surveillance and the limitation of the presence of non-Western powers.
Accelerated militarization: expanded fleet, attacks in the Caribbean and threat to Venezuela
The geopolitical repositioning is accompanied by concrete facts:
- mobilization of aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and F-35 fighters in the Caribbean;
- military operations against vessels accused of trafficking, with dozens of deaths;
- announcement of Operation South Spear, under the command of the Southern Command;
- internal discussions about possible bombings in Venezuelan territory.
The “Secretary of War” states that the US will seek to “remove narco-terrorists from the Hemisphere”. The anti-drug discourse, historically repeated as a justification for interventions, reappears as a basis for military escalation, associated with preventive attacks and the control of maritime routes.
Venezuela reacted with national military mobilization, alleging that Washington was “manufacturing a war”. Rumors of a ground attack were fueled by Trump himself, who declared: “I’m not going to say what I’m going to do with Venezuela.”
The containment triad: borders, cartels and strategic access
The strategy establishes three pillars of the new intervention cycle:
1. Armed control of maritime routes
Expansion of the Navy and Coast Guard to monitor traffic, migrations and routes considered “essential” in crises.
2. Use of lethal force against cartels
The document states that security policies based solely on police repression have failed and will be replaced by direct military actions.
3. Expansion of bases and military infrastructure
The US aims to install or expand support points in territories considered strategic — a movement that historically precedes regional interventions.
China on target: geopolitical dispute redefines relations with Latin America
The strategy also explains the objective of limiting Chinese advances in the region. For the US, Latin American Sino-commercial dependence is a direct threat to North American hegemony. The text indicates diplomatic and military efforts to:
- prevent Chinese investment in critical infrastructure;
- pressure governments to cut strategic ties with Beijing;
- offer economic and security agreements in return;
- recruit countries from the “Aligned Hemisphere” to reinforce the geopolitical siege.
The movement refers to the logic of the Cold War, with Latin America treated as a stage for dispute between powers.
Crisis in regional relations: tensions with Colombia, Venezuela and impact on Brazil
The military escalation is already producing political effects.
In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro suspended intelligence sharing after Trump insulted him and intensified attacks in the Caribbean.
In Venezuela, Washington’s rhetoric is seen as a harbinger of direct aggression.
The Brazilian government is monitoring the scenario, warning of risks of South American instability and impacts on regional integration processes.
Experts classify the deployment of forces — including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship — as the largest US naval movement in the Caribbean in decades.
Militarization as State policy: borders, migration and supremacy
The new strategy also reinforces the domestic axis of the Trumpist agenda. The document defends the end of the “era of mass immigration” and transforms border control into an absolute pillar of “national security”. He openly criticizes Europe for its migration policy and promises to support governments that combat European Union values.
Global militarization appears as a central tool of foreign policy: the US promises to “ensure peace through force”, defend Taiwan against China and pressure allies in the Indo-Pacific for more military spending.
A dangerous return to the past
By recentralizing Latin America as a military priority, resurrecting the Monroe Doctrine and expanding military demonstrations in the Caribbean, the Trump administration places the continent again under the specter of imperial interference.
The rhetoric of “stability” and “combating drug trafficking” contrasts with the escalation of tensions that threaten regional peace.
The result is a scenario that combines geopolitical dispute, growing militarization and the real risk of confrontation — with the potential to reshape continental politics and revive the shadows of a past that Latin America has never completely overcome.
Source: vermelho.org.br
