United States and Latin America: Washington Should Not Escalate Tensions with Blatant Intervention

Editorial

16:12 JST, December 29, 2025

The United States regards Latin America as being within its sphere of influence and has repeatedly engaged in military intimidation and election interference there. It is concerning that the country is threatening regional stability with blatant interference that is reminiscent of the Cold War era.

Washington particularly views Venezuela’s anti-American leftist government with hostility and has continued to carry out attacks on boats that it deems to be smuggling drugs from Venezuela and other countries to the United States, deploying an aircraft carrier and fighter jets to the Caribbean Sea. It seized multiple tankers carrying Venezuelan crude oil earlier this month.

In the name of measures against narcotics, the United States seeks to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to leave office by cutting off sources of funding for Venezuela, which boasts of one of the world’s largest oil reserves. Some point to oil interests as Washington’s real target.

Maduro claims that he won reelection for a third term in last year’s presidential election, but Western nations have refused to recognize his victory, citing fraud in the election. Venezuela’s crackdown on opposition figures, including opposition leader Maria Corina Machado who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, is too much to tolerate.

Even so, that does not justify U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to overthrow the Maduro administration. Both within and outside the United States, there has been a persistent view that the military attacks lack a legal basis.

Trump has also interfered in elections in other Latin American countries. In Argentina’s midterm election in October, Trump backed the pro-U.S. right-wing ruling party, which was trailing, by promising U.S. economic support after the election. This is seen as a key factor in the ruling party’s strong gains in the election.

In Honduras’ presidential race in November, Trump supported the center-right opposition candidate who calls for restoring diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Trump pressured voters by threatening to cut financial aid if this candidate lost, effectively pushing for his victory.

Behind Washington’s move to intensify its involvement in Latin America lies caution toward China’s growing influence on the region.

China has strengthened its ties with natural resource-rich Latin American countries through such means as importing crude oil from Venezuela. A major port whose operations are led by a Chinese company opened last year in Peru. It is concerning that China might use the port for military purposes.

In its National Security Strategy released the other day, the Trump administration positioned the “Western Hemisphere,” which includes the North and South American continents, as within its sphere of influence and outlined a policy to exclude the influence of China and others from that region.

However, Latin American countries harbor deep-rooted distrust toward the United States. This stems from its past actions: invasions into the Dominican Republic and Grenada during the Cold War for purposes such as preventing communism, as well as its support for authoritarian military governments.

Simply pursuing short-term gains while ignoring regional circumstances will only fuel anti-American sentiment and ultimately benefit China. Latin America must not be turned into a battleground for competition among great powers.

 (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 29, 2025)