The Trump administration released a new national defense strategy that explicitly threatens military intervention against Latin American nations that fail to cooperate with US counter-narcotics operations or allow increased influence from China and Russia in the Western Hemisphere.
The National Defense Strategy, published Saturday, represents the most aggressive US posture toward Latin America in decades, fundamentally challenging the "good neighbor" policy framework that has guided hemispheric relations since the mid-20th century.
"The United States will use all necessary means, including military force, to protect our interests in the Western Hemisphere," the document states, according to reporting by G1. The strategy specifically mentions combating drug trafficking networks and countering "malign influence" from strategic competitors.
In Brazil, as across Latin America's giant, continental scale creates both opportunity and governance challenges. The explicit threat of military intervention represents a dramatic escalation that threatens regional sovereignty and could destabilize carefully balanced diplomatic relationships across the continent.
Brazil has maintained a careful equilibrium between maintaining strong economic ties with China—now its largest trading partner—while preserving its traditional security partnership with Washington. The new US strategy places this balancing act under severe pressure.
"This is Washington demanding exclusive sphere of influence," said Maria Hermínia Tavares de Almeida, a foreign policy analyst at the University of São Paulo. "It ignores that Latin American countries are sovereign nations with the right to pursue their own interests."
The strategy arrives as Venezuela's political transition creates uncertainty about regional stability. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez responded defiantly on Sunday, declaring "it's time to say enough to Washington's orders" over Venezuelan politics.
Brazilian officials have not yet issued a formal response to the strategy document, though sources close to the Lula administration indicate deep concern about the implications for Brazilian sovereignty and BRICS cooperation.
The military threat language has united an otherwise fractured region in opposition. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the strategy "unacceptable interference," while Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned it would "destroy decades of multilateral cooperation."
The strategy specifically identifies drug trafficking routes through Central America and the Caribbean as justification for potential military operations, along with Chinese investment in ports and infrastructure projects that Washington views as strategic threats.
For Brazil, the document creates particular complications around the Amazon region, where Chinese investment in agriculture and mining has grown substantially. Any US military operations near Brazilian borders could trigger constitutional requirements for Brasília to defend national sovereignty.
"This puts Latin American countries in an impossible position," said Oliver Stuenkel, an international relations professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. "Either submit to US dictates or risk being labeled security threats. It's Cold War logic applied to modern multipolar reality."
The strategy may accelerate Latin American countries' pivot toward alternative partnerships, including deeper BRICS engagement and South-South cooperation frameworks that bypass Washington's traditional dominance of hemispheric affairs.
