In a conversation with Prensa Latina, the PhD in Latin American Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) commented on the motivations behind Washington’s escalation in the Caribbean, as well as its rhetoric against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Although he appears to have opened a door to talks with his counterpart according to recent statements, US President Donald Trump sent his most advanced aircraft carrier to the area, ordered attacks against alleged drug-running boats, and conducted military exercises near the South American country.
When addressing the reasons for Washington’s campaign against Caracas and its leaders, Hernandez, also a specialist at the Center for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, pointed first and foremost to the geopolitical project that Venezuela represents.
He remembered Caracas’s support for the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), all focused on resolving regional problems without U.S. interference.
“All of this openly challenged U.S. hegemony” in the region, the expert said, also mentioning the multipolar initiative promoted by the South American country through alliances with Russia and China, which Washington considers a threat to its interests.
