标签： South America

MIAMI — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stark warning to Latin American nations on Thursday, demanding more forceful measures against drug cartels that threaten regional security. Speaking at the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at U.S. Southern Command headquarters, Hegseth declared that Washington stands ready to take unilateral action if allied governments fail to adequately combat these criminal organizations.

“America is prepared to take on these threats and go on the offense alone if necessary,” Hegseth told defense officials from more than a dozen conservative governments closely aligned with President Donald Trump, including Argentina, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. The conference served as a precursor to a scheduled weekend summit between regional leaders and Trump at his Florida golf club.

Hegseth framed the security challenge as a civilizational struggle, emphasizing the shared Christian heritage of the Americas that he claimed was endangered by decades of inadequate responses to organized crime. He explicitly rejected continuation of previous policies, stating “business as usual will not stand,” while pledging U.S. support to combat cartels and “make the Americas great again.”

The defense secretary’s hardline position was reinforced by Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who compared Western Hemisphere cartels to global terrorist organizations. “Cartels that operate in this hemisphere are the ISIS and al-Qaida of this hemisphere and must be treated just as ruthlessly,” Miller asserted, advocating for “hard power” and lethal force rather than criminal justice approaches.

This conference occurs within the context of the Trump administration’s strategic reorientation toward Latin America, described in national security documents as the “Trump Corollary” to the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine. Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has designated Mexican and Venezuelan cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and declared the United States to be in “armed conflict” with these groups.

The administration’s assertive stance has already translated into military action, including 44 naval strikes against suspected drug smugglers resulting in at least 150 deaths. A substantial naval deployment—the largest in Latin America since the Cold War—facilitated the January operation that captured Venezuela’s former president Nicolas Maduro, now facing drug charges in New York.

While the approach has gained support from conservative regional leaders like El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and recently enabled joint U.S.-Ecuador operations against criminal groups, experts caution about the risks of militarizing law enforcement in regions with historically weak institutions and problematic military legacies.

Rebecca Bill Chavez, president of the Inter-American Dialogue and former deputy assistant defense secretary, warned: “Without strong rule-of-law institutions and civilian oversight, militarizing the fight against cartels can weaken the very institutions needed to defeat them.”

The ongoing tension between presidential authority and congressional oversight over military operations has reached a critical juncture during Donald Trump’s second term. The Republican-controlled House prepares for a pivotal vote Thursday following the Senate’s rejection of Democratic-led measures to curtail presidential war powers in the ongoing U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.

President Trump has consistently asserted broad, arguably unlimited authority over military deployments, approving naval strikes near Venezuela, establishing a maritime blockade, and authorizing operations to depose Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro—actions that many legal scholars consider acts of war under international law. These maneuvers follow earlier considerations of military action in Greenland and Latin America before escalating into comprehensive bombing operations in Iran.

While the Constitution designates the president as commander-in-chief of armed forces, it simultaneously grants significant war powers to Congress. Trump’s refusal to accept limitations on his military options demonstrates, according to constitutional experts, a fundamental shift in the balance of power away from the framers’ original vision of civilian-controlled military authority.

Military historian Peter Mansoor, an Ohio State University professor and retired Army colonel, emphasizes that ‘the Constitution gives war powers to two different branches of government.’ He notes with concern that ‘the pendulum has swung towards the executive,’ contrary to the framers’ intention that Congress should remain the most powerful branch.

The historical context reveals a persistent erosion of congressional war authority. Despite Article I granting Congress the power to declare war, no formal declaration has occurred since World War II, even as American troops engaged in major conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The Trump administration’s recognition of military actions against Venezuela through Medal of Honor awards—typically reserved for combat against foreign enemies—further blurs legal distinctions between authorized conflicts and presidential military initiatives.

The 1973 War Powers Resolution, designed to reassert congressional oversight, has proven largely ineffective in practice. Recent failed attempts to limit presidential authority through legislative measures demonstrate the ongoing struggle between executive action and legislative constraint—a tension that has characterized military operations from Truman’s Korean ‘police action’ to Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the nation’s longest undeclared war.

In a significant development for U.S.-Venezuela relations, American Airlines has received formal authorization to reinstate commercial flights to Venezuela, marking the first such service by a U.S. carrier since 2019. The approval, granted on Wednesday, follows President Donald Trump’s January directive to the Transportation Department to reopen Venezuelan airspace to American commercial aviation.

The decision comes despite ongoing State Department travel advisories warning U.S. citizens against visiting Venezuela due to security concerns and political instability. American Airlines suspended its Miami-Caracas and Miami-Maracaibo routes in 2019, becoming the last U.S. airline to cease operations in the country amid deteriorating diplomatic relations.

This aviation breakthrough signals a potential thaw in bilateral relations that collapsed during the political crisis that saw Nicolás Maduro’s administration challenged by U.S.-backed opposition forces. The resumption of air connectivity could facilitate family reunifications and create new commercial opportunities between the two nations.

While specific flight schedules and operational details remain undisclosed, the restoration of service represents a symbolic step toward normalizing travel patterns that were commonplace before the diplomatic rupture. The airline previously emphasized that renewed service would provide vital connections for Venezuelan-Americans seeking to visit relatives and explore business ventures in their homeland.

In a significant diplomatic escalation, Ecuador has formally declared Cuba’s ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez and his entire diplomatic team persona non grata, ordering them to depart the South American nation within 48 hours. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the decision Wednesday, citing provisions under international diplomatic law while offering no specific justification for the expulsion.

The move follows President Daniel Noboa’s executive order from Tuesday that abruptly recalled Ecuador’s ambassador to Cuba, José María Borja, similarly without explanation. This diplomatic rupture coincides with Ecuador’s announcement of new joint military operations with the United States targeting organized crime networks operating within the country.

The expulsion occurs against a backdrop of intensified U.S. pressure on Cuba following Washington’s involvement in the removal of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration has implemented stringent restrictions on Cuban oil imports and publicly speculated about the potential collapse of the Cuban government. Ecuador has emerged as a key regional partner for the U.S. in combating drug trafficking and criminal organizations.

Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, host nations maintain the authority to declare foreign diplomats persona non grata without providing rationale, though such actions typically signal serious diplomatic discord. The Cuban embassy in Quito did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the unprecedented diplomatic development.

CARACAS, Venezuela — In a significant diplomatic move, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum convened with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Wednesday, signaling the Trump administration’s intensified efforts to secure influence over the nation’s vast natural resource reserves. The high-level meeting represents the latest development in Washington’s strategic pivot toward resource diplomacy in South America.

Burgum, who chairs President Donald Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, embarked on the two-day diplomatic mission to engage with both American and Venezuelan corporate entities. The U.S. diplomatic mission in Venezuela characterized the visit through social media channels as a ‘vital and historic step’ supporting the administration’s phased strategy for Venezuelan economic transformation, specifically emphasizing the creation of ‘a legitimate mining sector and safe critical mineral supply chains.’

This diplomatic engagement follows the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces two months ago, which precipitated Rodríguez’s ascension to acting leadership. The visit continues energy-focused diplomacy initiated in February by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who previously explored Venezuela’s substantial petroleum potential.

The Trump administration recently unveiled plans to establish a critical minerals trading alliance among allied nations, strategically designed to counter China’s dominant position in supplying essential elements required for advanced military equipment and consumer electronics. Venezuela’s resource portfolio extends beyond its well-documented oil reserves to include substantial deposits of gold, copper, diamonds, and other valuable minerals, though extraction operations frequently occur under hazardous conditions within a minimally regulated industry.

Accompanied by Laura Dogu, the top U.S. diplomat stationed in Venezuela, Burgum’s meetings at the presidential palace further solidify the administration’s resource-focused foreign policy approach. Previous allegations by Maduro and his administration suggested U.S. geopolitical interests were primarily driven by Venezuela’s substantial resource wealth, claims that gain renewed context amid these developing diplomatic exchanges.