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OPINION:
Since the Monroe Doctrine, America’s power and prosperity have been underpinned by our security in our own hemisphere. It is a vital strategic asset. China has been encroaching on the Western Hemisphere for decades, turning America’s neighbors into footholds for Beijing’s ambitions. President Trump’s unyielding stance on Venezuela, including his crackdown on drug cartels and use of military force, is focused on stopping the spread of drugs into our homeland. Reportedly, the administration’s proposed National Defense Strategy will emphasize protecting the Western Hemisphere from outside influences. These actions put America first and allow us to safeguard our security, economy, energy supremacy and democratic values against foreign interlopers.
China’s presence in our hemisphere has been growing. The Belt and Road Initiative has already ensnared much of Latin America in debt traps that bring in Beijing’s businesses and capital while closing off opportunities to American companies. In the past 20 years, the China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of China have lent more than $120 billion to Latin American and Caribbean countries. Chinese port projects in the Caribbean echo the “string of pearls” strategy that threatens Indo-Pacific sea lanes, now perilously close to Florida.
In Venezuela, Beijing has poured in almost $60 billion in loans for energy deals that prop up Nicolas Maduro’s regime. These aren’t benevolent investments but geopolitical chess moves designed to undermine American security. Chinese firms invest in key mining infrastructure in the Orinoco Belt and hold sway over Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, ensuring a steady flow of discounted crude that funds Mr. Maduro’s repression while circumventing U.S. sanctions.
Venezuela’s oil exports in September were the highest monthly since February 2020. Reuters reported that 84% of the exports went directly or indirectly to China. I expect the president’s Venezuela policy will focus on ending Beijing’s domination of Venezuela’s oil sector in the coming months. The Trump administration issued an executive order in March that created a 25% tariff on goods imported from countries that import Venezuelan oil. Those tariffs would be unnecessary if American and allied companies were allowed to purchase Venezuelan oil to China’s detriment.
Mr. Trump’s maximum pressure campaign on Venezuela has exposed the regime’s kleptocracy and forced a reckoning with its Chinese patrons. Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, called for increased U.S. pressure on the Maduro regime.
The administration’s designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, Mr. Maduro as a cartel leader with a $50 million reward for capture, and decisive military strikes are recognition that narco-terrorism is an existential threat. Mr. Trump also confirmed that he authorized CIA operations inside Venezuela. These actions unlock critical tools to combat the threats and give the president vital leverage. In Venezuela, where cartels launder money through smuggling and collaborate with Mr. Maduro’s forces, it hits the regime where it hurts the most: its illicit revenue streams.
Mr. Trump is not stopping there. The Defense Department’s new National Defense Strategy, which is still being drafted, elevates American security interests in the Western Hemisphere from afterthought to front-line priority, rightly reframing the Americas as the core of U.S. defense. Mr. Trump also has Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who have deep experience in the Americas, reinforcing the importance of the region and countering China’s influence.
Inseparable from this strategy is a long-term vision for Latin America, particularly Venezuela, that makes functional partners for American and allied business and commerce. Crucially, this plan must exclude Chinese dominance. No more sweetheart deals where Beijing’s state-owned enterprises scoop up assets, saddling the region with unsustainable debt. The U.S. and allied companies can step in as a strategic counterweight in the region.
Venezuela’s vast oil reserves are just one ripe opportunity for business development that can bring stability to the region while supporting American and allied interests. These actions will help American businesses and jobs while ensuring U.S. energy supremacy in the Western Hemisphere and globally.
Keeping China out of the Western Hemisphere is imperative. Mr. Trump’s Venezuela policy, targeting of cartels, bounty on Mr. Maduro and forthcoming National Defense Strategy form a cohesive bulwark. America’s security interests are at stake in the hemisphere; it’s time we act like it.
• Robert C. O’Brien was the 27th U.S. national security adviser from 2019 to 2021. He is chairman of American Global Strategies LLC, whose clients include energy and extraction firms.
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