MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — The U.S. raid on Caracas on Jan. 3 did greater than forcibly take away President Nicolas Maduro from energy and upend Venezuela’s political system. It additionally reshaped U.S. relationships all through Latin America and accelerated regional fragmentation at a time of deep ideological polarization. This isn’t within the U.S. curiosity, as it would make it tough to construct broad partnerships to unravel pressing transnational challenges, together with organized crime and irregular migration. It might additionally tip regional fence-sitters into the orbit of U.S. rivals like China.
Latin America was hardly monolithic earlier than U.S. commandos shot their method into the Fuerte Tiuna navy base in Caracas. The area is riven by coverage divides and private feuds between leaders. Mexico has not had diplomatic ties with Ecuador since Ecuadorian safety forces raided its embassy in Quito in 2024 to arrest a fugitive former vp sheltering inside. The identical dispute is on the root of a tit-for-tat commerce battle that erupted between Ecuador and Colombia simply final month. The president of Brazil, a former labor chief, hardly speaks to his libertarian counterpart in neighboring Argentina. The presidents of Colombia and El Salvador spar on social media.
Throughout President Donald Trump’s first yr of his second time period, his stunningly confrontational and ideological method to the area has crystalized and deepened these fault traces. Again and again, on points starting from U.S. tariffs and mass deportations to deadly airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats and interventions in regional elections, disagreements amongst Latin American governments have foreclosed a coordinated response.
