TEHRAN – Donald Trump, in his second presidential term, continues to pursue the long-standing, overarching U.S. approach of bullying and advancing interests by force — but he now presents that policy in a blunt, unvarnished form.

Since Trump took office in January, this policy has produced not gains for the United States but a quagmire of failures.

The pretext of drug trafficking and the prospect of action against Venezuela have become a new theater for Washington’s naked use of force.

In this vein, the U.S. war secretary has formally announced the launch of “Operation Southern Spear,” presented as an effort to counter drug networks across the Western Hemisphere.

In the first year of his return to power, Trump has encountered stalemate or retreat across almost every major foreign-policy dossier — from Europe and West Asia to East Asia.

Under those conditions, Latin America has become an apparently convenient stage on which to display power: a region Washington still regards as a traditional sphere of influence and an integral part of its preferred global order.

Seen in this light, Operation “Southern Spear” is less a genuine security initiative than an effort to repair America’s leadership image after a series of setbacks. The problem, however, is precisely this: an excessive reliance on threats, sanctions, and military force has only accelerated the erosion of U.S. legitimacy and credibility.

The overt threats directed at Venezuela must be understood as part of a broader contest among great powers. From Washington’s perspective, Venezuela’s rapprochement over the past two decades with Russia, China, and Iran has come to constitute a strategic challenge.

Therefore, “Southern Spear” is not merely an action against a single regional government; it forms part of a wider strategy to contain the influence of U.S. rivals in the Western Hemisphere.

Yet the signs suggest the opposite effect. Critical responses from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and several other countries indicate that the old consensus in Latin America against Caracas has fractured, replaced by a heightened sensitivity to Washington’s interventionist posture.

Even segments of the American media have sharply criticized Trump’s heavy-handed use of force in foreign affairs. Defeated in one arena, Trump seeks redress in another — but the arc of recent global developments points to serial setbacks.

Despite numerous promises, Trump has not managed to end the Ukraine war. He was compelled to compromise on Taiwan and tariff disputes with China.

A joint U.S.–Israeli campaign of aggression against Iran quickly unraveled when Iranian missile attacks on the occupied territories forced a rapid ceasefire. And although a Gaza peace plan was launched with great fanfare, it encountered serious obstacles almost immediately.

Now, in an effort to paper over those failures, Washington is turning to military pressure and a propaganda campaign against Venezuela, invoking the pretext of drug trafficking.

So long as bullying and warmongering remain the lodestones of Trump’s and America’s foreign policy, the result will be nothing other than serial defeats and repeated failure.

Source: Sedaye Iran, the online newspaper of the Institute of the Islamic Revolution of Iran — November 14, 2025