Paul Jay breaks down what’s really driving Trump’s aggressive moves against Venezuela in 2025. Spoiler: it’s not about drugs or democracy—it’s about pushing China out of Latin America.

In this conversation with Barry Stevens, Paul explains how China has become the dominant trading partner across South America without military projection, why the US is reviving the Monroe Doctrine, and how manufactured pretexts (from “Soviet expansionism” to “weapons of mass destruction” to “the war on drugs”) have justified American intervention for decades. Also discussed is why the Venezuelan economy is such a mess.