This diplomatic stand also serves as a strategic maneuver regarding Mexico’s own relationship with its northern neighbor. The tension is amplified by recent rhetoric from President Donald Trump, who suggested that Mexico itself might require similar “intervention” to address the power of drug cartels.11 By standing firm on the Venezuelan issue, Sheinbaum is preemptively defending Mexican soil.12 She has used her daily briefings to dismiss the notion of a U.S. invasion of Mexico as something she does not believe is being taken “seriously,” yet her categorical rejection of foreign interference serves as a shield.13 She is reminding the world—and the White House—that cooperation on critical issues like migration, security, and the fentanyl crisis cannot be taken for granted if the basic rules of sovereignty are discarded.
The ripples of Mexico’s “thunderclap” are being felt throughout Latin America, particularly among left-leaning leaders in Brazil and Colombia who share Sheinbaum’s apprehension.15 There is a growing fear that the hemisphere is sliding toward a new era of coercion, where criminal indictments are used as a pretext for military regime change. Mexico’s insistence on dialogue and negotiation as the only legitimate paths forward is a direct challenge to the “Operation Absolute Resolve” strategy.16 Sheinbaum’s administration is effectively arguing that the battle for Caracas is, in reality, a battle for the soul of international law.17 If the global community acquiesces to the unilateral removal of a leader, the very concept of a sovereign state becomes a fragile privilege rather than an inherent right.
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