Comments

You have commented 375 times on Rantburg.

Your Name

Your e-mail (optional)

Website (optional)

	My Original Nic Pic-a-Nic Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Foto

Submit your comments on this article

Caribbean-Latin America

'There Could Be a Massacre.' Trump Dictates New Rules for Latin America

2025-10-24

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Ol'ga Kuznetsova

[REGNUM] Donald Trump breaks the mold, Donald Trump doesn't keep awkward promises, Donald Trump demolishes his competitors and shows how real politics should be conducted. These kinds of admiringly indignant statements have accompanied the US President throughout the past year.

Some people believe that this kind of strategy could be quite successful for other countries as well – for example, Russia should take the same approach.

However, using the example of the new crisis in Washington's relations with Latin America—no longer just an individual country, but groups of states and peoples—it would be worth explaining that everything is not at all as "professional" and "bold" as it seems after reading the Republican media.

THE NEW "HEAD BOSS" OF THE DRUG WORLD
The American administration has entered into open conflict with Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Frankly, there were many signs of this from the start—Petro had attracted negative attention from the White House with both his harsh criticism of Israel and his overly supportive rhetoric toward Venezuela.

He had even previously been stripped of his US visa: the Colombian leader – a former rebel, by the way – was on the streets of New York during anti-Israel demonstrations and called on American troops not to obey Trump.

Amid the escalating situation in the Caribbean and another blow to the drug trade, Petro accused the American government of murdering a Colombian fisherman.

This time, Trump himself took the stage and, true to his recent style, accused his colleague of drug trafficking. According to the American leader, Petro "is aggressively promoting large-scale drug production in both large and small fields throughout Colombia "

Trump then added that Gustavo Petro "does nothing" to stop the flow of drugs into the United States, yet receives financial benefits from Washington. In other words, he is essentially committing fraud against the United States.

In response, the American president announced the cancellation of all payments and subsidies to the Latin American country. He also added, in effect, that if Petro doesn't deal with the coca fields in his country himself, the Americans will do it themselves, and not peacefully.

In Colombia, the reaction to the situation was swift.

Gustavo Petro stated that the US President is being "deceived by his confidantes and advisers," and also recommended that Trump carefully study the situation in Colombia and better determine whose side the drug traffickers are on and whose the Democrats are on.

He was echoed by the Colombian Minister of Defense, who believed that Trump had insulted all Colombians with his statements.

WHO'S TALKING?
A day later, the Latin American country recalled its ambassador from Washington. Trump's blunt insults toward Petro, whom he called a "psycho," also played a role.

The Colombian leader claimed that all the wars his country has faced over the past fifty years were caused by cocaine use in the United States. He accused Trump of doing nothing to combat drug trafficking, merely providing for consumption, while his country is left with nothing but incessant violence and the production of illegal substances.

He also demanded the abolition of all new US tariffs on Colombian products, arguing that they would destroy the farmers, who, out of necessity, are trying to survive in the jungle and collaborating with drug gangs instead of peacefully growing crops.

Petro also proposed legalizing cannabis exports and strengthening prevention measures against its use in the United States. He also proposed "a scientific study of the need for prohibition, or rather responsible, government-regulated consumption," and "creating a more effective agreement to pursue drug capital and assets worldwide."

Nothing unusual was said by the Colombian leader: since the beginning of his presidential term, he has been a staunch supporter of the legalization of drugs, especially cocaine, and insists that this is what will kill the profitability of the drug trade as such.

ALL ARE BAD
Trump didn't mince words when arguing with Bogotá. One of his most striking final quotes: "Colombia is out of control, and now they have the worst president they've ever had."

However, the White House decided not to limit itself to Petro's candidacy—Trump accused all Colombian leaders of making big money from drugs.

The presidents of Cuba and Venezuela spoke out in support of Petro. Nicolás Maduro, himself at the center of American attention, declared that Colombia and Venezuela are fraternal countries—what goes for one, goes for the other.

Indeed, almost immediately afterward, reports began circulating on foreign Telegram channels that certain diplomatic sources had received confirmation of an imminent US attack on Venezuela.

This is being presented against a backdrop of general anxiety and is far from the first time, but given the demonstrative reshuffles in the US Southern Command (the current admiral is scheduled to retire in December), the situation looks quite ominous.

Even democratic media outlets note that Trump is acting in an overly "authoritarian" manner in his relations with Venezuela and throughout Latin America, and that the military campaign with strikes in the Caribbean is completely contrary to American law.

Some authors even published an entertaining article comparing Trump's accusations against Nicolás Maduro with his own behavior and declaring that the American president is little different from the Latin American "dictator."

President Maduro is streamlining his executive branch, cutting government spending, hardening the border, ending illegal migration? Cool.

And all the threats that a Democratic president would turn the United States into "Venezuela on steroids" have come true with the Republican leader: the Pentagon is being purged, Latin Americans fleeing repression are being deported, and the military uses force whenever and wherever it wants. So how is this any different from a "normal day" in South America?

COMMON ENEMY
While American politics is seeing a certain increase in criticism of Trump's manipulations in the Caribbean, Latin American countries see a new reason for unification.

Direct threats against Venezuela and Colombia, indirect ones against Brazil, as well as recent actions against Mexico, where more than fifty officials from the ruling party have been subject to US sanctions, have created the grounds for dissatisfaction with US policy in the region and a certain kind of diplomatic crisis.

Even states loyal to Washington were affected, albeit tangentially.

Trinidad and Tobago supports the escalation in Venezuela, but is losing its own citizens in American attacks on fishing vessels. And this isn't helping the local leadership's popularity with the population.

Ecuador and Peru are facing a wave of protests related to increased force against the population in the wake of the American "war on drug trafficking," corruption in government circles, and a long-standing social crisis.

Even in Guyana, which welcomes the attacks on Caracas, many are not thrilled about the potential showdown and redistribution of oil fields in close proximity to its own borders.

It is also worth adding the traditionally poor relations with leftist Cuba and Nicaragua, as well as Bolivia, which is in political turmoil and whose population is never thrilled with the gringos.

The transfer of the function of “the main fighter against drug trafficking in the region” from the Southern Command to other units more loyal to the new American Secretary of War also plays a role.

Old agreements with Latin American militaries—including illegal ones—are losing their force, and regional officials are being asked to tighten their belts and operate under new rules dictated from Washington.

It's not that they didn't agree to follow them before, but in his new presidential term, Donald Trump—and his entire team along with him—is proving to be unusually inadequate, touchy, and incapable of reaching agreements.

Added to this is the growing hostility towards Americans on the part of Latin Americans, who are being actively deported from the United States and declared the main enemies of the American state.

As if to sum up the situation, Gustavo Petro warned that Washington's strategies against the region could lead to "massacres in Latin America" and called on his people to mobilize in defense of national sovereignty.

It's hard to argue with such a statement—even if it's populist. Complicating relations with so many countries isn't beneficial for the current US administration, but it could very well be exploited by its Democratic rivals—both to increase their own influence in the region and to prepare for the next presidential election, which isn't as far off as it might seem.

And judging by the outward behavior of Trump's officials, it seems that they are not particularly aware of this.

Posted by:badanov

00:00