Trump’s attacks on Venezuela put Mexico on edge

Latin America has been shocked by the violence in Venezuela and the weekend’s abduction of President Nicolas Maduro, who many nations fear will return to a time of overt American interventionism.

Mexico, the US’s neighbor and long-time allies, is especially concerned about these concerns.

US President Donald Trump cited Venezuela as one of several nations that, in addition to Cuba and Colombia, were highlighted in remarks following the deadly attack on Venezuela on Saturday, which was widely denounced as a violation of international law.

Trump suggested that in order to combat drug traffickers, the US should launch military assaults on Mexican territory.

After Venezuela’s strikes, Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Saturday morning that “something has to be done with Mexico.”

He continued, “She is very afraid of the cartels,” adding that “President Claudia Sheinbaum” They “rule Mexico,” they say.

We are sovereign and free.

Sheinbaum has firmly affirmed Mexican sovereignty in response to Trump’s threats.

In remarks to the media on Monday, Sheinbaum declared, “We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.”

She continued, “It is necessary to reaffirm that the people of Mexico are our citizens and that we are a free and sovereign nation.” “Cooperation, yes, subordination, and intervention, no.

Mexican leaders have straddled the line between defending their interests from potential US encroachment and seeking&nbsp, fruitful relations with their powerful northern neighbour.

The Trump administration’s rhetoric and policies have drawn parallels to earlier periods of imperial intervention, making that balancing act more challenging.

According to Pablo Piccato, a professor of Mexican history at Columbia University, “there has historically been a history of US intervention that is part of the story of Mexican nationalism.”

Many of those incidents are etched deeply into the nation’s national memory. In 1846, the US fought a war with Mexico, annexing vast tracts of territory, including those in modern-day California, Nevada, and New Mexico.

US Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson collaborated with conservative forces in Mexico to overthrow the nation’s reforming president between 1910 and 1920.

In addition, US forces bombed Veracruz in 1914 and sent troops to northern Mexico to capture revolutionary leader Pancho Villa.

These are regarded as significant historical moments in Mexico, according to Piccato.

“Poorfirio Diaz, the president of Mexico, said, “Poor Mexico.” The United States is so far away from God and so close.

Trump has made a recent statement that ties his current agenda to his own regional history. He cited the Monroe Doctrine, a 19th-century rule that the US has used to assert its dominance over the Western Hemisphere, when he announced the strike on Saturday.

“The Monroe Doctrine is significant, but we have overrode it in many ways, really by many.” Trump remarked that they now refer to it as the “Donroe Doctrine.”

The US State Department also shared a picture of Trump on social media with the caption “This is OUR hemisphere” on Monday.

“Balancing on a thin wire,” you say.

Sheinbaum has not been able to concession Trump on important issues like immigration, security, and commerce despite insisting on Mexican sovereignty.

Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 Mexican National Guard personnel to her nation’s US border in February when Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Mexico has also cooperated with US efforts to stop organized crime, including by bringing some drug traffickers to their homes.

For instance, the US government extradited 29 criminal suspects who were charged with drug trafficking and other crimes in February. The Trump administration formally thanked the organization for sending 26 additional suspects to the US in August, which was a thankless accomplishment.

Some Mexicans attribute policies to increasing violence and insecurity to the hardline stances that Washington has historically pressed for in Mexico.

Sheinbaum has praised Trump for managing relations, but she has consistently stated that a unilateral US military strike on Mexican territory would be against the law.

According to experts, Sheinbaum’s willingness to work with the US government should compel it to refrain from attacking Mexico.

Stephanie Brewer, the director of the Mexico program at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a research organization with a US presence, said, “Sheinbaum has gone out of her way to cooperate with the US.” By breaking Mexico’s one red line, there is no reason to break our bilateral relationship.

The Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive policy toward Latin America has been brought up by the strikes on Venezuela.

According to Brewer, “I don’t believe US strikes on Mexican territory are any more or less likely than they were before the attacks in Venezuela.” However, they make it abundantly clear that the Trump administration’s threats must be taken seriously and that the US is willing to use military force in violation of international law.

Source: Aljazeera