A former Venezuelan diplomat speaks to Jacobin about how the state, military, and popular forces are responding to US military aggression — and what comes next.

I see a project of the United States reasserting dominance over what it has historically considered its sphere of influence. MAGA’s Project 2025 considered “re-hemisphering” as a necessity to guarantee US supply chains and economic dominance. The recently released National Security Strategy also considered a rebranding of the Monroe Doctrine to guarantee US control over the region’s strategic resources.

Under this scenario, it seems Washington will attempt to crush independent projects not aligned with its purposes. We have seen interventionism in elections such as the ones in Argentina or Honduras. We have seen threats and coercion even against nonradical, progressive projects such as in Colombia, Brazil, or Mexico. More revolutionary projects like Venezuela and Cuba are direct targets of aggression.