CPT is anti-militarist, anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist. We oppose all military intervention and exercises of hegemonic control by one country over another. We reject the revival of the Monroe Doctrine, which asserts the United States government’s unilateral right to intervene in the domestic affairs of other states in order to maintain hemispheric and global dominance, under the false guises of ‘national security’ and ‘world stability’.
The unprovoked use of armed force against Venezuela and illegal rendition of its sitting president represents a grave escalation in the US’ most recent campaign of lawless violence in the Americas. This has already seen more than 150 extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean since last September, including the murder of at least one Colombian citizen.
Many Venezuelans are hopeful that Maduro’s removal may represent a way out of the spiral of economic failure and political repression they have endured for the past decade, and which millions have fled. We share their hope. We demand that the governments of both the US and Venezuela respect international law, ensuring the sovereign right of Venezuelans to decide their own future, control their own natural resources and live in dignity and peace.
Colombia’s situation differs markedly from Venezuela’s, and Trump’s threats against the country appear merely rhetorical, for now. However, his relations with Europe demonstrate clear readiness to abandon long-standing partnerships for perceived geo-strategic advantage. His threats against President Petro and Colombian sovereignty – as well as that of Mexico and Cuba – cannot be simply dismissed.
CPT welcomes dialogue between Trump and Petro, including their meeting at the White House on 3 February, as a necessary step toward regional stability. However, this détente should not obscure the broader trajectory: the US is increasingly militarizing its approach towards Latin America as part of a global power competition, treating the Caribbean and South American Pacific as strategic containment zones against influence from Russia, China and its other official enemies. What Washington euphemistically calls ‘preventative stabilisation’ will be experienced across the hemisphere as renewed imperial control. Colombia navigates between caution and pressure, seeking to avoid becoming the next target while defending Latin American sovereignty.
We are at a crossroads: either build multilateral solutions rooted in democracy and international law, or accept permanent militarisation of the hemisphere under the boot of US imperialism.
CPT accompanies people and organisations in Colombia peacefully resisting violence. We know that lasting security comes from empowering communities, not armed intervention. We call for international solidarity with grassroots social movements and civil society organisations throughout Latin America and the world, who are building the conditions for peace, justice and human rights: the true pillars of security. They need our support now more than ever.
