“The US election raises the spectre of Trump renewing his interventions & ‘regime change’ efforts in Latin America.”
By Matt Willgress
The US election result raises the spectre of Trump renewing his interventions and ‘regime change’ efforts in neighbouring Latin America, alongside giving a massive boost to the region’s significant far-right forces.
One country that will be particularly wary of Trump is Venezuela. Between 2016 and 2020 the Billionaire right-winger showed a relentless hostility towards Venezuela, managing to massively ramp-up US intervention, which has now taken place with the aim of illegal ‘regime change’ for over two decades.
Trump made his attitude very clear when campaigning this year in North Carolina, and also bluntly explained what motivated his drive to unseat the Maduro-led Government in Venezuela, saying “When I left, Venezuela was ready to collapse. We would have taken it over, we would have gotten all that oil.”
Direct sanctions were first applied against Venezuela in 2015, but Trump ramped up these illegal coercive sanctions into more-and-more increasingly severe measures, against the country as a whole, in a way akin to the criminal decades-long US blockade of Cuba.
The effect of attempting to strangle Venezuela’s economy was severe, and came at great human cost, leading to 10,000s of deaths.
Although Venezuela’s economy is now making a recovery, at the time the resulting loss of oil income was extremely damaging, impacting hardest on the poorest and most vulnerable as UN human rights rapporteurs reported.
But economic sanctions were – and still are – only a part of the US ‘regime change’ offensive against Venezuela. as it hopes to again control the future of the oil-rich country.
Military action under Trump – and his sidekick the incredibly hawkish Marco Rubio – can also not be ruled out. Indeed, in 2017 Trump said, “We have many options for Venezuela and by the way, I’m not going to rule out a military option.”
Two years later he again said this was an option, around the time the US Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank hosted a top-level, off-the-record meeting to explore US military options against Venezuela.
While the geo-political landscape has changed since 2020, there is no evidence that the US’s long-standing desire to destabilise the Venezuelan government and achieve “regime change” is off the table.
And the same applies to other countries in the region too.
Trump introduced illegal sanctions on Nicaragua in office – and made clear his absolute hostility to Cuba and wish to also force ‘regime change’ there.
Social and left movements in other countries in the region have reason to be wary of Trump’s return too.
In countries such as Argentina and El Salvador, where the far-right currently governs at the cost of great economic and social misery, the ghastly regimes will feel they now have a friend in the White House.
Meanwhile in the economic powerhouse Brazil – where the far-right, and top Trump buddy, Bolsonaro lost the last Presidential Election to Lula – anti-democratic forces are already welcoming the Trump victory and seeking a renewed wave of organisation.
Bordering the US, Mexico will also beware of the waves of xenophobia he has enabled against that country and its people over many years.
In Bolivia, activists will remember how the US enabled a military coup there against the elected Evo Morales-led Government in 2019.
And in Honduras where the progressive Government has sought to move away from US domination and neo-liberalism in recent years, there is already grave concern about US meddling and intervention in upcoming elections.
From the left internationally then our message must be clear – Trump, Hands off Latin America!
- ONLINE EVENT: Trump – Hands off Latin America! Thursday, December 12, 18.30. With US, Mexican, Argentinian, Honduran, Brazilian + Bolivian speakers & a range of solidarity campaigners. Register here.
- LATIN AMERICA 2025 CONFERENCE: In-person, Saturday 8 February 2025, 10am, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD. Speakers include Aledia Guevara, daughter of Che Guevara. Book online here.
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