The U.S. president treats Latin America as his backyard, endangering peace across the continent, the AAJ stated.
This week, the American Association of Jurists (AAJ), an NGO with consultative status before the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), released a document analyzing and condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s international policy regarding Latin America, reports 24brussels.
The AAJ’s statement critically examines recent U.S. interventionist actions in Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela. It outlines a historical pattern of U.S. engagement, emphasizing violations of peaceful coexistence that undermine the sovereignty of nations and are fundamentally contrary to international law.
For decades, the U.S. has enacted a policy of interventionism in Latin America, rooted in concepts such as the Monroe Doctrine, Truman’s Pan-Americanism, and security perimeter theory. These frameworks justified territorial invasions under the guise of combating terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as the economic isolation of adversarial states and the endorsement of coups and authoritarian regimes.
Since Trump took office, this interventionist approach has intensified. His administration has adopted a confrontational foreign policy that threatens regional stability through military threats, fostering migration crises, and imposing unilateral economic sanctions, such as import tariffs meant to exert control. Furthermore, the U.S. has deepened lawfare practices and expanded media campaigns alongside covert operations targeting the nation’s political landscape.
The AAJ highlights specific cases to illustrate these points. On July 22, U.S. ambassador-designate to Argentina, Peter Lamelas, outlined a policy intent on curtailing Argentine interactions with Chinese interests, framing them as corrupt without substantial evidence. He expressed commitment to support President Javier Milei’s administration, indicating intentions to influence Argentina’s judiciary against political figures like Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, revealing concerns about judicial independence.
On July 30, Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, set to take effect on August 1, contingent on Brazil halting judicial proceedings against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces a prison sentence for his actions surrounding the 2022 elections. Concurrently, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, undermining Brazil’s judicial autonomy and prompting widespread condemnation from Brazilian institutions.
In Venezuela, after the government repatriated 236 young migrants kidnapped by the U.S., the Trump administration mixed signals by permitting Chevron to resume operations in Venezuela while simultaneously accusing President Nicolas Maduro of leading a supposed terrorist organization. The U.S. offered a $50 million reward for Maduro’s capture, describing it as an “international manhunt,” further escalating tensions.
The AAJ emphasizes that these actions exemplify a blatant violation of non-intervention principles in international law, which are designed to protect weaker states from the expansionist policies of stronger nations. The call for non-intervention was reiterated in multiple international resolutions and legal frameworks, underscoring the broader implications of U.S. policies in the region.
Reiterating concerns about Washington’s historical record of human rights violations, the AAJ condemned Trump’s approach as treating Latin America as a “backyard” while explicitly calling on national and international jurist organizations to denounce such imperialist policies. They urged a reaffirmation of the rights of nations to self-determination without external interference and demanded cessation of violations against the principles of international law established by both the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
