LATIN AMERICA
US hawk calls for Maduro’s immediate overthrow
US has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and 15,000 troops in the region
In an article published by Folha de S.Paulo on November 18, under the title Why the US should overthrow Nicolás Maduro, Bret Stephens defends a “surgical” invasion to capture Maduro, comparing it to past operations like Manuel Noriega’s in Panama in 1989. His arguments – drug trafficking, ties to “enemies” like Iran and the export of “instability” via 8 million refugees – through InSight Crime reports and reports from the former Biden administration. But here’s the crucial point: Stephens, a neocon, aligns himself with the Democratic hard line, not the Trumpist project. Donald Trump, in statements on November 14, hesitated to reveal plans, even suggesting dialogues with Maduro and rejecting offers of “mineral sharing”. Trump, with his “America First” doctrine, prioritizes tariffs against Beijing, not expensive wars on the continent.
The real hand behind the curtain is that of the Democrats. Under the influence of think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), aligned with the most imperialist wing of the US state, the US has mobilized an aircraft carrier strike group and 15,000 troops in the region. This is not just a stage play, it is the continuation of Biden’s “selective détente”, which eased sanctions in 2023 for electoral negotiations, but reinstated them after the Venezuelan elections in 2024. The opposition, led by María Corina Machado – Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2025 and now fugitive from justice – was recognized as the legitimate winner by imperialism, with Edmundo González appointed president-elect. Under this influence, anti-narcotics operations were announced in Latin America, sounding like the Monroe Doctrine 2.0: any alliance between Caracas and the Russians or Iranians is an existential threat.
Democratic imperialism uses “morality” as a pretext. Stephens talks about Venezuelan “suffering” – hunger, health collapse, violence – to justify bombing, but ignores the fact that US sanctions have impoverished the people while enriching the imperialist bourgeoisie. It’s a strategy of “humanitarian” interventionism to secure resources (oil, lithium) and curb the tendency towards rebellion on the continent. Unlike Trump, who cut troops in Afghanistan in 2021 to avoid a quagmire, the Democrats see Venezuela as a test to restore their hegemony amid the debacle of the war in Ukraine. Stephens is betting on “clemency for deserters” and popular support for González for a swift transition.
What is at stake is control over Venezuelan territory. And the Donald Trump administration, despite appearing to own the shares, is adhering to the internal pressure of the most warmongering wing of imperialism. The Democratic Party, which uses “democracy” to rob the people of Venezuela.
