The Lead
The View from the South
by Dennis Small (EIRNS) — Dec. 17, 2025
Put yourself, for the moment, in the shoes of a president, a cabinet minister, or some other significant leader of a nation from the Global South, which represent the majority of Mankind—either a current leader or a future leader, such as the 150 or so young adults from some 37 countries on every continent, who participated in the Dec. 14 international youth dialogue with Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche.
What do you see?
You see the United States playing an important role in trying to bring about a solution to the Ukraine war that takes into account the security interests of all parties. But you also see a Trump administration about to launch a military assault on Venezuela, stating openly that it intends to steal its oil—and has already begun doing that by seizing ships on the high seas—after having been elected to “never again” launch such a war of conquest.
You read that same administration’s National Security Strategy document, issued on Dec. 4, 2025, which announces its intention to drive China, and its Belt and Road Initiative, out of the Western Hemisphere—for starters. “We should make every effort to push out foreign companies that build infrastructure in the region,” the document states bluntly, “utilizing U.S. leverage in finance and technology to induce countries to reject such assistance,” while using American military, political and financial might for “expanding American access to critical minerals and materials.”
You understand that, if this Trump Corollary of British-style colonialism is allowed to stand in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia will be next.
Just to be sure, you then look around to see what major infrastructure projects the United States has helped build in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last 20 years.
There are none.
But your eyes also turn to a different economic and security policy coming from China and other nations in the BRICS and the SCO. You are well aware of the fact that China pulled 850 million people out of poverty in 40 years, and you have been wondering to yourself: “If China can do it, why not we?” And on Dec. 10, 2025 the Chinese government issued a Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean which offers “planning and construction of infrastructure in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, so as to enhance regional infrastructure connectivity.”
It says that China will help “make good use of space technology to boost LAC countries’ scientific, technological and industrial development,” offering “active participation of LAC countries in China’s manned space program. And lunar and deep space exploration missions.” It emphasizes that special support “will be given to young scientists,” and that poverty reduction will be a central objective of all Chinese activities in the region. It emphasizes that “China will continue to provide development assistance to LAC countries without attaching any political conditions” (a far cry from what the IMF and Wall Street now do), and it even offers to “carry out trilateral development cooperation in LAC countries with relevant countries outside the region”—a straightforward offer to the United States and Europe to join in these win-win policies.
You then turn to see what great infrastructure projects the Chinese have either built or have offered to launch in Latin America and the Caribbean. You see the Chancay megaport in Peru, now in operation; the proposed bi-oceanic rail corridor connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans from Peru to Brazil; you see the Mutún iron ore and steel complex in Bolivia; there are the proposals for constructing the Nicaraguan Interoceanic Grand Canal, and building high-speed rail lines all through Central America. You see the Chinese proposals to build high-speed rail in Mexico as well—from Mexico City to Querétaro, and across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec—which were canceled due to pressure from Wall Street and Washington.
Those youth, with that vision, are America’s best ally in jointly building a new international security and development architecture as we head into 2026—the year of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Contents
Strategic War Danger
- Trump Adviser Miller: U.S. Plans To Seize Venezuela's Nationalized Oil Industry (↓)
- Russian Response to Europe's Self-Serving Ukraine Proposals: ‘No, No, No’ (↓)
- Putin Tells Defense Ministry Board, Russia Will Deploy the Hypersonic Oreshnik Missile in 2025 (↓)
- Lavrov Offers Russia's Good Offices To Defuse the U.S.-Iran Confrontation (↓)
- U.S.-Australia Military Cooperation Solidified Against China (↓)
- Brits Scramble To Recalculate Strategic Position after U.S. 'America First' NSS (↓)
U.S. and Canada
New World Paradigm
Collapsing Imperial System
Harley Schlanger Update
Watch The Daily Update with Harley Schlanger, a short video update available every weekday morning from The LaRouche Organization.
