President Trump ordered U.S. forces to strike Venezuela and seize Nicolás Maduro, escalating U.S. military involvement and signaling a tougher approach toward Latin America.

President Trump has launched a new era of U.S. intervention in Latin America. Some regional leaders are celebrating, while many others are deeply concerned.

The United States intends to dominate Latin America. That is clear following the weekend’s operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power. But the U.S. has competition. China is expanding its influence in the region, offering itself as an alternative to governments leery of American power.

President Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuela is the latest in a long saga of U.S. intervention in the region that is rooted in the 1823 Monroe Doctrine — and is a mix of success and failure.

Since the Cold War, the United States has conducted over half a dozen military interventions in Latin America.

President Trump took aim at Cuba, Mexico and Colombia as possible future targets. Some Latino residents in the Chicago area fear more military action in their home countries. Others see the president putting pressure on corrupt leaders.

Whatever Washington’s plans for the future of Venezuelan governance, this show of U.S. force in Latin America looks like the first manifestation of a more assertive American foreign policy outlined in the national security strategy published in November 2025.

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