The year began with a military bang. The US intervention in Venezuela on January 3, 2026 is an open violation of international law and a paradigm shift for the whole of Latin America.

The claim to Latin America as a "backyard" set out in the US National Security Strategy of 2025 is being put into practice and blatantly justified with economic, geopolitical and security interests. At the same time, Trump threatened other Latin American countries with military strikes.

While the military strike was sharply criticized in Latin America in some cases, the right-wing governments of Argentina, Ecuador and El Salvador applauded it.

In the discussion event, we will shed light on the background to the military strike, the effects on Venezuela and the implications for Latin America, especially for Colombia.

The panelists are:

• Indira Murillo - Instituto Colombo-Alemán para la Paz, Bogotá
• Stefan Peters - Justus Liebig University Giessen
  
  Moderator: Britt Weyde, Information Center Latin America, Bonn