LATIN AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY AGAINST THE TRUMP-RUBIO OFFENSIVE
The Trump-Rubio administration has launched a coordinated campaign across Latin America and the Caribbean that combines military force, political destabilization, and economic pressure against multiple nations simultaneously. The scope and timing of these actions represent a significant escalation that requires urgent international attention.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is currently operating in proximity to Venezuelan waters, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the President of Venezuela of leading a “foreign terrorist organization” on November 24, 2025. US forces have carried out more than 80 extrajudicial killings in international waters, without making formal charges, seizing contraband, or presenting evidence of criminal activity. These operations occur despite data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime indicating that Venezuela plays a marginal role in drug trafficking and maintains its territory free of illicit crops.
In August, the US began increasing its military presence in the region with destroyers, fighter jets, drones, and amassing 15,000 troops. Venezuela has responded by mobilizing civil defense forces and implementing emergency protocols. International allies including Russia, China, and regional partners have expressed concern about the growing tensions. The CELAC-EU summit recently issued a joint call for peace and respect for international law.
In Mexico, the November 15 march in Mexico City displayed several characteristics associated with externally driven regime change tactics. Although heavily promoted through millions of automated social media accounts linked to international networks and backed by significant funding, the event attracted only about 17,000 participants, many of whom were established opposition politicians, not the youth movement highlighted in media coverage. President Claudia Sheinbaum continues to enjoy high approval ratings, and the appointment of a former Special Forces officer with experience in unconventional warfare as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico is a detail that cannot be ignored.
The situation in Ecuador reveals the depth of strategic planning behind current operations. Three military agreements signed between 2022 and 2024—the Air Interception Assistance Agreement, the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), and SHIPRIDER—establish virtual US occupation of Ecuador’s air, sea, land, and cyberspace while granting diplomatic immunity to US forces. The Galapagos provincial government approved a “Regional Security Project” authorizing the installation of US military personnel, vessels, aircraft, submarines, and weapons, positioning the archipelago as a key node in the US Indo-Pacific strategy. Despite this pressure, the Ecuadorian people rejected constitutional changes that would have allowed foreign military bases in a referendum on November 16, maintaining their constitutional commitment to peace.
Cuba continues to face intensified blockade measures while UN Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures Alena Douhan conducts assessments of the human rights impacts. During her visit, Douhan has documented severe effects on family well-being and food security.
The pattern extends throughout the region. Colombian President Gustavo Petro faces sustained campaigns through judicial and media channels using methods previously documented in Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. President Trump has publicly endorsed Argentina’s Javier Milei, signaling support for radical economic policies that have historically destabilized regional economies.
The current situation represents more than bilateral disputes between the United States and individual nations. Simultaneous pressure on multiple countries—from military threats against Venezuela to soft coup attempts in Mexico, from the militarization of Ecuador to the intensification of the blockade against Cuba—indicates a comprehensive strategy to reshape hemispheric relations through coercion and impose U.S. dominance over the region’s resources.
Regional sovereignty and self-determination remain fundamental principles of the international order. Their defense requires an immediate and coordinated response from all who value these principles. The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether international law or unilateral force will define hemispheric relations.
Our Zone of Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean is under threat, which is why we call on all our popular organizations to declare themselves in active and permanent vigilance and to carry out street actions on December 10, 2025, in front of U.S. embassies and symbols of imperialist aggression, in rejection of war and in defense of the sovereignty of our peoples.
