Latin America’s got a problem. Cuba and China are teaming up to stir the pot, spreading instability with a mix of old-school socialism and cold, hard cash. From Caracas to Managua, they’ve figured out how to prop up dictators, wreck economies, and keep the region on edge. But there’s a way out: right-leaning governments in the U.S. and Latin America can team up to shove back against this mess. Here’s how they’re winning, where they’ve dug in deepest, and what lovers of liberty can do about it.
Cuba and China: The Chaos Tag-Team
Cuba’s been at this forever. Since Fidel’s revolution, they’ve been peddling their brand of control-freak socialism—think spies, “doctors” with agendas, and training for thug squads. The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) says they’ve got thousands of operatives in places like Venezuela, keeping the screws tight on dissent. They’re broke as hell, but they trade know-how for oil and loyalty.
China’s the money guy. With their “Belt and Road” racket, they’ve dumped billions—$150 billion from 2005 to 2023, per the Congressional Research Service—into Latin America. It’s not charity; it’s a trap. They loan cash that can’t be repaid, snag resources like oil and lithium, and lock countries into their orbit. The Pentagon calls it what it is: economic blackmail.
Together, they’re a nightmare combo—Cuba brings the ideology, China brings the bankroll.
Where They’re Winning
- Venezuela: The Crown Jewel of Collapse
Cuba runs the show here. The Defense Department figures 15,000 to 20,000 Cubans are on the ground—spies, medics, you name it—propping up Maduro’s goon squad, the FAES. China’s chipped in $62 billion in loans (says the Inter-American Development Bank), getting oil in return. The result? A total dumpster fire—7.7 million people have fled (UN numbers), and the place is a hub for drugs and crime. Mission accomplished for the bad guys.
- Nicaragua: Ortega’s Playground
Daniel Ortega’s Nicaragua is another win for the duo. SOUTHCOM says Cuba’s training his paramilitary thugs, while China’s bankrolling roads and ports to cozy up in Central America. It’s a one-two punch: repression at home, cash from abroad. People are running for the border, and the region’s feeling the heat.
- Bolivia: Echoes of Evo
Back when Evo Morales was in charge, Cuba sent advisors and docs to juice up his socialist gig, while China threw $2.3 billion at Bolivia’s lithium (Inter-American Development Bank). Evo’s gone now, but the left’s still strong, and the economy’s ripe for more meddling.
Places like Colombia or Chile, where markets and freedom have a pulse, have held them off better. Lesson? Big government is their way in.
How Freedom Fights Back
Right-leaning governments in the U.S. and Latin America don’t need more talk—they need to act. Libertarian principles—free markets, individual rights, and a big middle finger to statism—are the fix. Here’s the playbook:
- Trade, Not Handouts
Forget China’s loans. The U.S. can rally a free-trade bloc—think Colombia, Brazil, Chile—and let markets do the heavy lifting. No more begging Beijing for crumbs; real competition cuts the strings.
- Defense, Not Domination
SOUTHCOM knows Cuba’s networks are trouble—guerrillas, cartels, the works. Team up with right-wing allies like Brazil or Peru, share some tech and training, and shut it down. Keep it light, though—no one wants a Yankee overlord.
- Truth Bombs
Cuba and China win with lies. Hit back with reality: show how China’s debt chokes people and Cuba’s model starves them. Private media, not government PR, can wake folks up.
- Starve the Beasts
Smart sanctions—aimed at the dictators, not the people—can bleed out regimes in Venezuela and Nicaragua. The U.S. and its allies can make it hurt where it counts.
- Grow Liberty
Back the good guys—opposition groups, regular people—with cash and support from private outfits, not bureaucrats. Let them topple the tyrants from the inside.
The Bottom Line
Cuba and China have turned Venezuela and Nicaragua into their personal chaos labs, proving they thrive where freedom’s weak. But a crew of right-leaning governments, with the U.S. in the mix, can push back hard. It’s not about big government swooping in—it’s about unleashing markets, arming the truth, and letting people take their shot at liberty. Time to stop playing defense and start swinging.
