The recent U.S. military raids arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and extradited them to New York for trial. Now, U.S. President Trump has issued further military threats against Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba, triggering global political and economic turmoil and an atmosphere of unease.
Starting with the airstrikes on Venezuela's capital: The US raids sparked outrage.
The news of the US military raid on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro shocked the world. The US brought Maduro to New York for trial on charges of "drug trafficking," symbolizing that the US can enter other countries to carry out military operations without permission, rather than relying solely on sanctions or diplomatic pressure.
Trump stated, "The United States will govern this country until we can achieve a safe, proper, and prudent transition of power."
This operation not only broke through the boundaries of past US actions in South America, but also brought to mind the tragedy of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, and laid the groundwork for future military threats against other countries.
( The raid shocked the world; Trump: The US will temporarily "take over" Venezuela )
Should we take action against Colombia? Trump: Sounds good.
Reuters reported that on Air Force One Sunday, Trump described Colombia as a "sick country" and even accused President Gustavo Petro of manufacturing cocaine and shipping large quantities to the United States. When asked if he would take military action against Colombia, he bluntly replied, "Sounds good."
Petro, an ally of Maduro, has reportedly criticized the United States for violating UN international law by unilaterally revoking visas, and the two sides have returned to the front lines of armed confrontation.
Trump names Mexico's political situation as "controlled by drug lords."
Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News on Saturday, Trump also pointed the finger at Mexico's southern neighbor. He claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum "is not governing the country" and is instead letting drug lords control everything.
He further revealed that he had repeatedly asked Mexico whether it needed the assistance of the US military to eliminate drug cartels, but Mexico refused.
Trump: Cuba is a failed state and will collapse on its own.
In addition, Trump added during a press conference on Saturday, when discussing the actions in Venezuela, "Cuba is a failed state, and its people have suffered for years. We should help those people and exiles."
When asked if he would take military action, he explicitly denied it: "No, Cuba will collapse on its own. The situation in Cuba is very bad right now."
Now, the US arrest of Maduro has also cost the Cuban government a key ally.
Three countries jointly condemn the United States for undermining regional peace.
Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba also condemned the U.S. action in Venezuela. The Cuban president called it "an unacceptable, vulgar, and barbaric kidnapping, an act of state-sanctioned terrorism."
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated : "Latin America and the Caribbean is a peaceful region built on mutual respect, peaceful settlement of disputes, and the prohibition of the use of force or the threat of force. Therefore, any military action would seriously jeopardize regional stability."
War escalates between the United States and several South American countries
From the Venezuelan raids to threats against Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico, a tense front is forming around Latin America. Trump's rhetoric about drug infiltration and regime failure is pushing the United States toward a more aggressive stance, provoking a backlash from Democrats and the international community.
Whether the United States takes further military action in the coming weeks will determine whether this South American crisis will escalate again.
This article, which just broke the news in Venezuela, also mentions that Trump is considering military action against Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba . It first appeared on ABMedia, a ABMedia .
