Cuba’s communist regime and drug cartels continue to be in a state of alert after President Donald Trump’s administration made it clear that the fight against communist regimes in the Western Hemisphere continues.

As U.S. troops train in Panama’s jungle terrain, which resembles that of Cuba, U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that all options, including military intervention, are on the table regarding Cuba.

“Countries like Cuba are on notice. We’re not going to allow that kind of malign influence in our hemisphere,” Hegseth stated.

While the nature of Cuban-American tensions remains unclear, this week the Dominican Republic gave Cuban diplomats a seven-day deadline to leave the country, signaling stronger American alliances in the region.

Florida state Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, who represents a majority-Cuban American district, told the Daily Signal that he sees this as a step from an American ally in standing up for the Western Hemisphere.

“This administration has been clear that all options are on the table, and the Castro regime should count its last days,” Porras added.

America’s allies in the region are beginning to expel the presence of Cuba’s regime as well, which has been warmly embraced by American policy experts and lawmakers alike.

“I applaud the Dominican government for standing for freedom and liberty in the hemisphere,” Porras continued. “The United States and our allies all want to see a free Cuba.”

Miguel Granda, a legislative aide for Florida state Rep. David Borrero, told the Daily Signal that “the wisest path forward for Cuba is greater cooperation with the U.S. and a genuine move toward democratic governance and economic openness.”

“Cuba and the United States would both benefit from choosing dialogue over confrontation,” he continued, warning Cuba that, if not, Hegseth’s remarks that military force is on the table should not be taken lightly.

“America’s military strength speaks for itself, but our preference is to lead with partnership, not pressure,” Granda concluded.

Monroe Doctrine

The Trump administration has made it clear that, unlike previous presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it will not be employing failed diplomatic solutions like the Good Neighbor Policy or the Alliance for Progress to stop the spread of communism in the region.

Many national security policy experts agree with the president’s assessment, reaffirming the importance of the administration’s desire for “peace through strength.”

“The principle of the Monroe Doctrine that foreign powers must keep their malign influence out of the Western Hemisphere is as solid today as it was in the day that it was formulated by Monroe’s secretary of state, John Quincy Adams,” Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow for security and foreign policy at The Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Signal.

The rise of anti-American left-wing governments in the region in recent decades has not only undermined American interests in the region but also opened the door to foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran to use the Western Hemisphere as a zone for military and intelligence operations.

“China, Russia, Iran, and the rest have no business here, and their support for the Cuban dictatorship has resulted in hardship for the Cuban people,” Gonzalez continued.

The left-wing governments, like that of Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, have also paved the way for drug cartels to thrive in the region, ultimately bringing drugs, illegal aliens, weapons, and other contraband into the United States.

“If governments like those in Mexico and Venezuela are incapable of keeping their own territory under control, or worse, profit from the drug trade, the U.S. has no other choice but to act,” Gonzalez added.

Recent reports from the federal government have also identified the vast networks that left-wing governments in the hemisphere have built with drug cartels and Islamic foreign terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah.

During an address this week, Hegseth said these are now reasons for the administration to reinstate the doctrine, which has not been invoked since it was first invoked by former President James Monroe in 1823.

“We will defend our hemisphere from external threats to national sovereignty, whether from narco-terrorism or foreign malign actors,” Hegseth said during an address this week.

AUTHOR

Pedro Rodriguez

Pedro Boccalato Rodriguez-Aparicio is a journalism fellow at the Daily Signal. Follow on X pedrobrodrigue7.

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