Why Trump's Venezuela Strike Has Latin America On Edge

Barely days into the new year, a special US task force invaded Venezuela and picked their sitting President, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife from Caracas. US President Donald Trump, perhaps buoyed by the lack of resistance from Maduro's on-ground forces and the rapidity of the military raid, came out and declared Venezuela was not an isolated case. He warned that Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba were on his watchlist.

Hours after the January 3 military raids, political corridors of Latin America were in overdrive. Heads of state and senior officials described it as the most consequential political event in the region in decades.

Latin America's three largest countries, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, all governed by leftist leaders, called it an abduction. Argentina, El Salvador, and Ecuador openly cheered Trump. Smaller nations such as Guatemala and Peru maintained strategic silence.

“All of the countries are trying to avoid a conflict with Trump,” said Jorge G Castaneda, a former Mexican foreign minister, as per The NY Times.

Trump has left little doubt about his ambitions, declaring that “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,” The Atlantic reported.

Mexico

Nowhere is that pressure felt more acutely than in Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum has intensified action against drug cartels, strengthened border enforcement, and imposed steep tariffs on Chinese goods to meet US demands. Even so, Trump continues to threaten unilateral strikes. “We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels,” he told Fox News. “The cartels are running Mexico.”

Sheinbaum has condemned US military intervention in other countries, saying, “Intervention has never brought democracy, never generated prosperity, and never created lasting stability.”

Mexico quietly signed a joint statement opposing the capture of Maduro but did not publish it, and avoided publicly criticising Washington, according to a senior Mexican official, The NYT reported.

Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has said that there is a “real threat” of US military action against Colombia following the strikes in Venezuela and comments by Trump that an operation in Colombia “sounds good.” Petro told the BBC that the US was treating Latin America as part of an “empire” and risks becoming “isolated from the world” if it continued on this path.

Relations between Trump and Petro remain tense despite a recent phone call both sides initially described as positive. Petro said the call focused on drug trafficking, Venezuela, and US actions in the region, but suggested it did little to ease underlying tensions. Trump has repeatedly insulted Petro and accused Colombia of failing to curb drug trafficking.

Brazil

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the US strikes as a threat to Latin America's status as a “zone of peace”, as per AFP. He has previously pushed back against US pressure, including trade measures tied to Brazil's domestic politics.

Cuba

Trump on Sunday announced that no more Venezuelan oil or money will be allowed to reach Cuba unless Havana “makes a deal” with Washington. Venezuela is Cuba's main oil supplier, but shipments stopped following the US abduction of Maduro and the imposition of a strict US oil blockade on Venezuela.

During the January 3 operation in Venezuela, Cuba reported that 32 of its military officers were killed while serving in security roles alongside Venezuelan forces.

Trump also wants to “acquire” Greenland for its military location and vast natural resources, saying US control is vital for national security. This has been rejected by Greenland and Denmark. Last week, the US president said, “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.”