The dramatic arrest of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 2026, seized by U.S. forces in Caracas and brought to New York to face narcotics and narco-terrorism charges, has shocked the hemisphere and intensified debate over U.S.–Latin America relations. From the Monroe Doctrine’s 1823 assertion that European powers should stay out of the Americas, the U.S. has long justified interventions as protecting its interests and security. U.S. policies in Central America during the 20th century, through support for coups and anti-communist regimes, deepened regional resentment. Modern engagements, exemplified by Venezuela, and and policy rhetoric such as the so-called Trump Corollary, reflect a complex legacy of power, sovereignty, and geopolitics between the United States and its southern neighbours.

Alejandro Velasco teaches Latin American history at New York University, where he is Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Faculty. He is the author of Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela, and a frequent contributor in media with op-eds and commentary in The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, the BBC, the CBC, Al Jazeera, and NACLA, among others. 

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