Trump Escalates Rhetoric Towards Mexico and Venezuela

In recent days, the American president has once again targeted Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. He mentions drug traffickers and immigration to justify his criticism of Mexico, raising the risk of military action on Mexican territory.

An american aircraft carrier has arrived in the Caribbean Sea amid a crisis wiht Venezuela.

Tanguy Struye de Swielande, professor of international relations at uclouvain and senior associate researcher at the Egmont Institute, analyzes the situation.

can we say that the Trump Administration is positioning itself in the same way towards Venezuela as it does towards Mexico?

I would say no. The situation is quite different. Both cases involve problems of drug trafficking and migration. Though, MexicoS inability to control its drug traffickers is a very meaningful issue for the United States. It’s the country through which Fentanyl,the opioid responsible for over 100,000 deaths in the United States,enters American territory. There is also a clear problem linked to immigration.

Is this less the case for Venezuela?

With Venezuela, the issue isn’t cocaine production, but the routes drug traffickers use to transport drugs to the United States, where Venezuelan cartels or mafia groups are also active. The American approach to the two countries remains quite different. Regarding Venezuela, there is a clear desire to put pressure on the president, and this extends beyond drug trafficking.

Venezuela has accused the United States of plotting against it, claiming a “criminal cell financed by the CIA.”

Does Trump want the fall of president Maduro?

Yes, and this isn’t new. In 2020, Donald Trump already offered a bounty for Maduro, labeling him a cartel leader. This year, the bounty has reached $50 million, but without success.

Why notably target maduro?

The Venezuelan regime is considered anti-American and under the influence of China in a region the americans view as their backyard, invoking the Monroe doctrine 2.0. Maduro leads this regime. The issue of oil, which is significant and subject to ongoing secret negotiations, also plays a role. The country possesses enormous reserves, but their exploitation is poorly managed. For 20 years, the entire sector has been…