The Latin American Report # 628

Yesterday, during an interview on the CBS News program 60 Minutes, Donald Trump addressed the issue of the US military deployment in the Caribbean and particularly the Venezuela problem in a scattered and non-committal manner. The head of the White House was extremely evasive, spending most of the time propagating the unsubstantiated claim that the Venezuelan government sent to North America criminals and mentally ill people taken from prisons and psychiatric institutions, respectively, and sending confusing signals about the ultimate goal he pursues with the government of Nicolás Maduro, or with Venezuela in general.

When asked if the United States was going to war against Venezuela, Trump responded that he doubted it, that he didn't think things were heading that way, but he immediately launched into a long historical review of Joe Biden's immigration policies, and the narrative about the supposed Chavista strategy of sending people as part of the great migratory stampede of recent years. When the journalist Norah O'Donnell somehow managed to reorient the discussion, she asked him if Maduro's days were numbered, to which Trump, in this case, responded, "I would say yeah". "I think so, yeah," reaffirmed the Republican leader. That is, one thing seems to be ruling out war, but not the possibility of a process or action —surgical?— against the head of the Miraflores Palace.

What we are seeing could well be a contemporary expression of the old psychological warfare, in which, through an unusual military deployment that looks much more oriented towards an armed incursion than attacking drug-running boats, and the nebulous nature of the political narrative, the goal is to intimidate Maduro. "I'm not saying it's true or untrue," Trump replied when asked about the veracity of recent reports accounting for possible attacks against military targets in Venezuelan territory, supposedly linked to drug trafficking. "I wouldn't be inclined to say that I would do that [...] because I don't talk to a reporter about whether or not I'm gonna strike," elaborated the two-time owner of the Resolute desk. We will keep all our senses focused on following this development.

Somehow related, particularly to the immigration issue 👇

Cuba and Melissa

The US government is relying on the Catholic Church in Cuba to channel material aid valued at 3 million dollars for the victims of Hurricane Melissa in the eastern region of the country, which was heavily battered by that meteorological phenomenon, especially by flooding. In the Cuban case, Washington demands that the Island's government not act as an intermediary for the aid, a show of the profound historical dispute that divides both nations, although the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade indicated that the aid will be coordinated with the authorities for a quick and effective delivery.

"Cuba appreciates any type of aid to our people, provided it is honest and within the framework of respect for our national sovereignty," alerted the ministry on X. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba said that together with the Caritas organization, they are taking "the necessary steps and holding useful and positive conversations with all parties so that this offer can become a reality". Among the countries that have already sent aid to the country are China, Panama, Spain, Venezuela, and Colombia.

This is all for today’s report.