These are not times for complacency

ByDaniel Carlos García Gómez

This editorial by Daniel Carlos García Gómez originally appeared in the January 9, 2026 issue of La Jornada de Oriente, the Puebla edition of Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Mexico Solidarity Media, or the Mexico Solidarity Project.

The treacherous aggression by the Washington government against Venezuela and the kidnapping of its president, Nicolás Maduro, in violation of international law and the sovereignty of a country like Venezuela, cannot go unpunished. Something more than mere condemnation must be done to stop Donald Trump ‘s interventionism and the adoption, two centuries later, of the Monroe Doctrine.

Under the pretext of combating drug trafficking and terrorism, the United States resorts to this tactic to attack Venezuela and seize its resources, primarily oil. Hence, the reaction of the UN Security Council is late and ineffective, which encourages Trump’s impunity.

Those who cynically dare to fabricate causes, as the United States already did in Iraq; those who shamelessly violate international law, the self-determination of peoples, and respect for human rights and dignity— why should we conclude that they will act correctly in the rest of the world? Democratic and Republican governments have spent two centuries acting according to their own interests, not those of the global community.

This moment requires a more effective awakening of Mexican progressivism and the left, an intensification of the political and ideological struggle, so that the fascism represented by Donald Trump does not prevail.

Although the Mexican government has signed a joint statement with progressive counterparts from Latin America and Spain , so far it has not had enough of an impact to contain the interventionist policies of the United States, much less the threats looming over other peoples and governments that do not submit to the designs and interests of Washington.

From the very day of the US armed attack on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, countless protests have taken place around the world, yet governments have failed to react in a manner commensurate with the scale and magnitude of the aggression. These are not times for lukewarm or outright inaction. Someone has to stop the empire and its representatives.

That’s why I’m outraged that those who criticize Maduro and his government accept and justify the intervention, and that, in the case of our country, they have no qualms about accepting foreign interference, which foreshadows the stance they would adopt in similar scenarios. But on the other hand, I’m also concerned by the disdain of those who think that what’s happening in Venezuela couldn’t happen in Mexico.

January 3rd attack on Caracas, Venezuela

Much of this distorted view of reality is due to the mass media (with some exceptions), which continue to be an expression of financial oligarchies and conservatism, now radicalized to the point of fascism. These are the sectors that are currently echoing Trumpism, which, unfortunately, has recently gained ground on the continent.

In Venezuela, a people’s resistance has emerged, which we hope will contain the US aggression and the “fifth columnists,” like Corina Machado . But international solidarity , firm denunciation, mobilization, and even a boycott of US companies are also needed. Peaceful civil resistance may be a viable strategy today.

But it also requires a more effective awakening of Mexican progressivism and the left, an intensification of the political and ideological struggle, so that the fascism represented by Donald Trump does not prevail.