Pushback from Latin American leaders are putting a wrench in the works of Donald Trump’s imperial ambitions. The Summit of the Americas– the U.S.-backed conference of regional leaders– has had to be cancelled (or, officially, postponed until 2026) due to threats of a mass boycott of the event.
Leading this revolt are Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, who both declared they would skip the event in protest of the U.S. treatment of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. With the summit promising to be a public relations disaster, the U.S. ordered it cancelled.
Joining host Mnar Adley today to discuss Colombia, Mexico, and the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela are Camila Escalante and Alan MacLeod. Camila is a reporter for PressTV and the editor of independent media outlet, Kawsachun News. She covered the U.S.’ regime change attempts against Venezuela, the 2019 coup in Bolivia, and the return of President Lula da Silva in Brazil. Alan is senior staff writer and producer at MintPress News. He is the author of one book and five peer-reviewed studies on Latin American politics.
The Trump administration is intent on provoking conflict with Venezuela. Moving thousands of troops to the region, the president has ordered attacks on 17 boats, killing 66 civilians in the process. He has also approved the CIA to carry out “lethal” operations inside Venezuela. Last month, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro announced that his forces had stopped a false flag operation to set off explosives at the United States Embassy in Caracas.
Trump’s hand, however, is being stayed by stiff regional opposition. President Petro has condemned the assault and begun legal proceedings against Trump for his attacks on fishermen in the Caribbean. “The U.S. wants Venezuela’s oil. That’s what is behind the missile attacks,” Petro said, adding that “Trump is furious that I’m not supporting the US with the Colombian Army to invade Venezuela.” In response, Trump has threatened to invade Colombia as well.
Trump has tried to frame U.S. actions as a defensive maneuver, claiming that Venezuela sits at the nexus of a massive drug smuggling operation intended to flood American streets with deadly narcotics. Yet, if he wants to uncover powerful individuals with links to drug smuggling operations, he could look far closer to home. Orlando Cicilia, the brother-in-law of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, spent 12 years in a Florida prison for crimes related to the distribution of cocaine. At the time of his arrest, Rubio was living with Cicilia at his home, and later used his political position to pressure a Florida regulator to grant him a real estate license. Across much of Latin America, the new Secretary of State is known as “Narco Rubio.”
Venezuela, unlike many of the U.S.’ previous targets, MacLeod told Adley today, is not defenseless. It possesses a capable and well-trained military, as well as eight million people in patriotic militias. Any direct invasion, therefore, he concluded, would likely not be a swift affair, and could end up becoming another Vietnam for the United States.
Join us for an important discussion on imperialism, rebellion, and resistance.
Mnar Adley is an award-winning journalist and editor and is the founder and director of MintPress News. She is also president and director of the non-profit media organization Behind the Headlines. Adley also co-hosts the MintCast podcast and is a producer and host of the video series Behind The Headlines. Contact Mnar at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @mnarmuh.
Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer for MintPress News. He completed his PhD in 2017 and has since authored two acclaimed books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, as well as a number of academic articles. He has also contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and Common Dreams. Follow Alan on Twitter for more of his work and commentary: @AlanRMacLeod.
