According to Ismael Blanco, an international relations analyst and member of the foreign policy commission of Uruguay’s ruling Broad Front party, the recent assertive conduct of the U. S. Armed Forces near Latin American shores reflects Washington’s loss of its former global dominance. Blanco argued that the United States is confronting an emerging world order in which it no longer holds the position of a hegemon. In his view, the only sphere where Washington can still exert clear superiority is not technology, science, or trade, but the use of military force to impose its will.

Blanco suggested that as the international system shifts toward multipolarity, U.S. foreign policy has grown increasingly forceful, leaving the security of Latin American nations more exposed. He pointed to several developments he sees as emblematic of this trend: recent U.S. military exercises off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago, a renewed tempo of operations in Panama, and a return to psychological and propaganda tactics reminiscent of the latter half of the twentieth century.

These remarks come against the backdrop of new U.S. naval movements in the region. On Sunday, November 16, the U. S. Navy reported that the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group had entered the Caribbean Sea. Washington maintains that its military presence is tied to counter-narcotics efforts. In September and October, U.S. forces repeatedly destroyed vessels near the Venezuelan coastline.