As U.S. President Donald Trump has increasingly meddled in Latin American affairs in recent weeks—from ramping up military pressure on Venezuela’s regime to extending a $20 billion lifeline to support Argentine President Javier Milei—many analysts are speculating on his administration’s endgame in the region.
In determining his next move in Venezuela, for instance, Trump faces a choice: whether to use the “naval deployment to the Caribbean as a pressure tactic to advance U.S. interests and democratic reforms, or whether to roll the dice with military escalation and risk potentially destabilizing conflict,” Geoff Ramsey writes.
This edition of the Reading List examines U.S. relations with Latin America in light of Trump’s recent moves and considers how his approach to foreign policy may be reshaping politics in the Western Hemisphere.
What’s the U.S. Endgame in Venezuela?
Three possible scenarios for Trump and Caracas, according to Geoff Ramsey.
Trump’s Panama Port Predicament
The deal to sever China’s ties to the Panama Canal could boost its influence elsewhere in the region, Aidan Powers-Riggs and Henry Ziemer write.
The U.S. Should Not Bail Out Argentina
Rohit Chopra considers why the Trump administration is intent on rescuing Milei.
Lula and Trump’s Backstage Breakthrough
The apparent thaw between the two leaders is a reminder of why the U.N. still matters, Andre Pagliarini writes.
Trump Is Ushering in the Era of the Strongman
The U.S. president is promoting iron-fisted rule throughout the Western Hemisphere, FP’s Howard W. French writes.
The post What Is Trump’s Latin America Policy? appeared first on Foreign Policy.
