There's no need to wait until January 2025. The Trump effect has already begun.
In Venezuela, the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro is releasing political prisoners. In Nicaragua, Daniel and his wife Ortega passed sweeping constitutional reforms that would give them more power. In Cuba, the regime has increased repression and surveillance of its citizens.
Dictators are in a state of panic.
In July 1980, then-candidate Ronald Reagan said: “We know very well that wars do not occur when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. That is when tyrants are tempted.”
President-elect Donald Trump said,peace through power”, a strategy that Reagan implemented as part of his foreign policy vision. And the winds of change are scaring tyrants like Nicolas Maduro and their cronies.
President Maduro has congratulated President Trump on his decisive victory, praised the civility of the American people and called for dialogue with his arch-enemy. With around 2,000 political prisoners, Hugo Chávez's anointed are now seeking amnesty. He has no intention of transferring power in a democratic manner or form, but the regime wants to transfer power. A new start.
President Maduro has listened to analysts and think tankers in Washington who predicted President Trump's defeat. Various analysts assert and believe that negotiations will take place. transactional And I like strong men like Maduro. Apparently not.
Venezuela's Bolívar Chávez government wants to repeat the shadow games it played before with President Biden. Maduro is a dictator, but he is not stupid. He promised free elections to lift sanctions. Drug dealer's nephews released and his financial manager Alex Saab; Returned from US custody. And, of course, that was a lie – he rigged the election anyway.
Now Venezuela is once again hungry for a new deal with the United States. But times have changed, and there's a new sheriff in town.
Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega is also in fear mode. his police state Espionage activities have doubled at all levels, both inside and outside the Party. He banishes priests, musicians, and anyone who dares to speak his mind.
During the civil uprising in Nicaragua in 2018, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dennis Moncada And then Ambassador Francisco Campbell crawled into the office of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and promised dialogue and peace. But Ortega's government never kept its promise to hold fair elections.
Meanwhile, Cuba has responded to the fear as follows: Further repression. The regime, which has 1,200 political prisoners and has been in power for 65 years, knows that bitter days are ahead. The Trump administration knows the Trump administration well, especially the announced secretary of state. Mr. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants who experienced the brutality of the Castro regime firsthand.
Cuba is in darkness and under oppression. Communist states are unable to control industry and basic services. It destroyed the country's agriculture and fishing sectors. The only excuse for the government's failure, which no one believes in anymore, is that it is the victim of an international embargo that no longer exists.
Rubio and a member of parliament. michael waltz President Trump's choice for National Security Adviser (R-Florida) is the twin nightmare of the dictatorships of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. They will put these abuses of dictatorship on President Trump's agenda. Let us not forget that these systems are the primary root cause of mass immigration to the United States.
And Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela's relationships with Iran, Russia, and China pose a significant threat to U.S. national security. The new administration will not support policies of soft diplomacy, multilateralism, and sanctions relief. Those days are over.
The first two years are the most important. Now is the moment when the administration can get full support from Congress to ensure an end to communist tyranny. Time is of the essence. A sound foreign policy and a focus on national security will be key elements in ensuring major changes in the Western Hemisphere.
of opposition leader Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have already begun to approach the Trump administration. They believe that this is perhaps their last chance to remove the dictatorship and restore democracy. The time is right and so is the leadership.
Let's get to work.
Arturo McFields is an exiled journalist, former OAS ambassador, and former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps.
