Say that to trump They lose their forms, would be the euphemism of the century. Nor does it characterize finezza that the proverbial Andreotti claimed for politics, nor does he master the art of ambiguity. On the contrary, it is rough, noisy and explicitperfect for these times of impact storytelling. In reality, he is the best example of a “strong man” that Yuval Harari described in his disruptive ‘Nexus‘.
For all this, the remarkable clarity with which he spoke this Tuesday before the Capitol in the hour and 48 minutes of the State of the Union address, the longest SOTU in history, cannot be surprising. Especially regarding Latin Americaabout which he said that “we are restoring US dominance and security in the Western Hemisphere“And so, without blinking, the word “domain” slipped into the speech without a hint of blush, or any type of complex. Is Trump reissuing the doctrine Monroein version 2.0? It might seem so in light of the premise that marked its proclamation in 1823: Any European intervention would be considered aggression against the United States. And some of it resonated in January 2026, when, after Maduro’s capture, the State Department literally said “This is our hemisphere. And President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened.“. In the same terms of “internal security” the pressure is framed Mexico for fentanyl or drug boat hunting in the Caribbeanthe question of Cubaetc…. In fact, Trump himself has expressed it with crystalline precision in his speech on Capitol Hill: “We act to guarantee our national interests and to defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism and foreign interference“But, is this just a question of security, a contemporary reissue of the old Monroe, or are we facing a global strategic plan that covers various aspects and aims to shake the entire region?
That last one seems to be the option: Trump places Latin America as a priority on the agenda because his project Make America Great Again passes, inexorably, through the domain of the Western Hemisphere. To begin with, it is a key region for the economic, technological and strategic interests of Chinawhose growing influence has made him a investor devours all its competitors. From the famous lithium triangle to the new silk route through the Peruvian Chancay, through the juicy trade agreements with Brazil, or the expansion of the BRICs, China has turned Latin America into a strategic pillar of its economic dominance, perfectly defined in its ‘White Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean’. And precisely for this reason, Trump considers the region as a battleground to curb such Chinese influence. It is geopolitics from the economic perspective.
In addition to stopping China and reinforcing North American economic interests, the United States becomes the driving force behind major political changes that shake the region and reinforce its hegemony. Hence the intervention in Venezuela, the first card in the card that aims to bring down the rest. The end of Chavismo not only represents an extraordinary liberation of energy and economic resourcesbut also human resources. Two months ago there were lines for bread and milk in the neighborhoods of Caracas, and in a short time, in the midst of the transition process, the enormous potential that the country will have is already perceived. An enormous opportunity has opened up to turn Venezuela into a great hub energy that will not only nourish the pockets of yankeesbut those of the entire region. That is why the Venezuela experiment is so important for Trump, because it represents the success of his global project: from Maduro’s Venezuela that turned Trump into a demon, to Delcy’s Venezuela converted into “our new friend and partner.” And with the earthquake in Venezuela, its aftershocks: Colombiawith a Petro who goes to the White House and falls in love with the “frank gringos”; Nicaragua with an Ortega who suddenly eliminates the free visa for Cuba and lowers his incendiary rhetoric to pragmatic positions: Cubawhose collapse will inevitably lead to political change; Guatemalaand the zero tariff for its products; Brazilwith a Lula who has lowered his most inflamed rhetoric many decibels… And then there is Mexicowith a Sheinbaum whose political discourse has also undergone a pragmatic mutation (trade agreement through), while at the same time her attitude of fighting against cartels has increased. In this sense, there is no doubt that Trump’s strategy for the region is doing well in all three areas: securityhe economicand the geopolitical.
This is the chronicle: US military action, capture of Maduro, and suddenly the entire map in motion. An unmitigated success. For the United States, it is the return of dominance in “the backyard”which in turn implies a reinforcement of its geopolitical role. But, far from being a vampire domain, it can be symbiotic for the entire region, because the liberation of the evil regimes that have kidnapped it will imply economic and political growth of great magnitude. Latin America is back on the map and its horizon can be bright. So, despite the anti-americanism rampant environmentalism, we’ll have to give Trump some credit.
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