Where is the next target after Venezuela?

US President Donald Trump’s moves didn’t stop with the military operation carried out by US forces in Venezuela at the beginning of this week, which ended with the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, but the circle of escalation quickly expanded to include explicit threats of possible US military intervention against other sovereign countries in the Western Hemisphere, in addition to Greenland’s annexation to the United States issue.

In remarks after the operation, Trump hinted that Latin American countries, including Cuba, Mexico and Colombia, could be potential targets for future military moves, in what observers have described as a revival of the Monroe Doctrine in a new version called the Donroe Doctrine.

This approach is based on the reassertion of American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, a principle developed in 1823 to counter European influence, before later becoming a pretext for repeated American interventions in Latin American affairs.

“As part of our new national security strategy, American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere will no longer be called into question,” Trump said at a news conference, adding that his administration was working to reassert US power with unprecedented determination.

These statements come in striking contrast to Trump’s previous election speech, when he pledged to end foreign wars and repeated on several occasions that he had stopped eight wars while seeking the Nobel Peace Prize.

Colombia has emerged as one of the countries that could face a US escalation, after its president, Gustavo Petro, was one of the first leaders to condemn the US operation in Venezuela, calling it a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to regional security in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In recent months, Petro has been highly critical of US airstrikes in the Caribbean, which killed a Colombian fisherman.

In October, the Trump administration-imposed sanctions on Petro and members of his family, accusing him of involvement in the drug trade, accusations the Colombian president has categorically denied.

In later remarks, Trump said that “Petro should be careful,” adding that “Colombia is run by a sick man,” and that what he called “Operation Colombia” seemed appropriate in his view.

Petro adopted an escalatory rhetoric, stressing that he is neither a “drug dealer nor an illegitimate president,” warning that any attempt to undermine the legitimacy of his leadership would lead to an explosion of widespread public anger.

In regard of Mexico; Hours after announcing Maduro’s arrest, Trump hinted at the possibility of taking action against Mexico, reiterating his long-standing call to confront drug cartels with military force.

Reports in April revealed that the US administration was considering carrying out drone strikes inside Mexican territory.

In early 2025, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected a US proposal to send military forces to fight the cartels.

In media statements, Trump said that “drug cartels run Mexico,” considering that the Mexican president is “afraid to confront them”.

For its part, the Mexican government considered the US move in Venezuela a violation of the UN Charter, warning of its regional repercussions.

As for Cuba, Trump has brought Cuba back into the cycle of escalation, suggesting it could be part of a broader US policy in the region.

His comments were in line with those of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the Cuban government as a “big problem” and led by “incompetent and aging elites”.

Rubio, who is a Cuban descendant, hinted that Cuba plays an influential security role in Venezuela, arguing that Caracas needs to disengage from Havana.

Cuba condemned the US attack on Venezuela, calling it a “terrorism state,” warning that it would destabilize the entire region.

Cuba relies heavily on Venezuelan oil to secure its energy needs, in exchange for security and medical support to the Venezuelan government.

Finally, Greenland; In parallel with the escalation in Latin America, the Trump administration has reintroduced the idea of annexing Greenland, the Danish autonomous region.

The White House said options for annexing the island, including the use of military force, were “still on the table”.

US officials, said the annexation of Greenland is a national security priority for the United States, given its strategic importance in the Arctic, amid escalating competition with Russia and China.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, is biologically located between North America and Russia, and is gaining increasing importance as ice melts due to climate change, revealing scarce natural resources for the green technology and energy industries.

Despite Trump’s insistence, both Greenland and Denmark have rejected the threats, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen insisting that talk of US control of Greenland makes no sense at all.