TEHRAN – When the U.S. military launched attacks on ships in the Caribbean in early September, Washington said it was fighting drug cartels. But the nearly 90 people killed, no evidence of drugs, and the scale of the deployment, which included the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, make it clear that this was no routine mission.
What is currently underway is the largest U.S. military buildup in Latin America in decades, and while it is being carried out in the context of counter-narcotics, its purpose is far more important: the reestablishment of world power.
The operation began with an amphibious group moving into the southern Caribbean Sea. By November, bases in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands had been expanded with the addition of the Ford Strike Group. Venezuela responded with thousands of troops and militias, accusing Washington of trying to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro and seize its oil reserves. This tension is not just about drugs. It’s about influence, influence, and signaling.
This became clear when President Donald Trump reposted a Fox News op-ed by David Marcus. The article argued that the threat of military action against Venezuela by the United States is intended to put pressure on Russia and shows that Russia is unable to protect its partner. By sharing it, President Trump acknowledged that the “war on drugs” narrative was a cover. This increase is about geopolitics, not drugs.
Why is build-up important?
There are several reasons behind this strategy, each different but related.
* Hemispheric control: Reviving the logic of the Monroe Doctrine, Washington is reminding the world that it intends to maintain primacy in its own hemisphere.
– Negotiating leverage: By demonstrating that the external partnership could be destabilized, Washington strengthens its hand in negotiations over Ukraine.
*Deterrence signaling: Caribbean supercarriers send the message that escalation costs are low close to home.
– China is the next target: Beijing’s growing presence in Latin America, including ports, energy projects and infrastructure, is increasingly seen as a strategic challenge in Washington. By raising the stakes in Venezuela, the United States is signaling that Chinese-backed ventures in the region, and perhaps elsewhere, could be contested.
reverberations of history
This pattern is not new. In 1983, the United States invaded Grenada under the pretext of protecting medical students, but the deeper purpose was to thwart Soviet and Cuban influence. In 1989, the invasion of Panama was justified as a drug war against Manuel Noriega, but control of the canal was still secured. Today’s campaigns fit into this tradition of counter-narcotics as a front and geopolitics as a real objective.
global interests
The impact is serious. For Latin America, it raises questions of sovereignty and autonomy. For the global economy, this suggests that Chinese-backed projects may face new risks. When it comes to international law, it shows how norms become weaker when military operations are justified under contested discourses. And for ordinary people, civilian casualties undermine legitimacy and risk destabilizing neighboring countries through refugee flows and economic disruption.
At a global level, developments in the Caribbean demonstrate how the U.S. government is adapting its strategy to a multipolar world. Rather than engage in direct confrontation, the United States is targeting pressure points in the region where it has overwhelming military superiority. This approach risks entrenching conflict and destabilizing the region far beyond the Caribbean.