<![CDATA[Border Security]]><![CDATA[Brazil]]><![CDATA[Cartels]]><![CDATA[Chile]]><![CDATA[Colombia]]><![CDATA[Cuba]]><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]><![CDATA[Marco Rubio]]><![CDATA[Mexico]]><![CDATA[National Security]]><![CDATA[Trump Administration]]>

The Fear Is Gone – PJ Media

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March 13, 2026
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Buckle Up — This Is Where It Gets Real – PJ Media

Welcome to “The New Monroe Doctrine,” where I give you an update on what’s going on in the Western Hemisphere, south of our border, especially as it relates to the United States. 





Folks, I think this is the second-biggest week we’ve had in the Western Hemisphere in 2026, and I only say that because it’s hard to top dropping into a country and capturing and arresting the dictator who parades around as its president in a matter of hours. But this past week came awfully close. Because it was so jam-packed, I’m just going to have to do kind of a rapid-fire week in review. So settle in, get comfortable, and pour yourself a glass of whatever it is you like to drink (that’s gonna be a rum and Diet Coke for me), and let’s get started. 

The Americas Are All Right 

One of the biggest and most important stories of the week was Donald Trump and Marco Rubio’s Shield of the Americas summit, which took place in Doral, Fla., last Saturday. It was the meeting of 12 right-minded, U.S.-aligned heads of state from Latin America and the Caribbean, along with various members of the Trump administration. The main focus was regional security and what we can do to combat the organized crime that plagues us all, but based on the people who were there and the meetings I witnessed, I think a lot of other issues were discussed, from energy to economics to China.  

Here’s how I described it on Saturday: 

Quite frankly, it was the one of the warmest meetings of heads of state I’ve ever seen — hugs, handshakes, smiles, and genuine conversations. It was proof that we share much more than just geography. As Marco Rubio said, we’re more than allies; we’re friends. And you could tell that most of these countries’ presidents have amazing relationships with Trump, Rubio, and the numerous other members of Trump’s cabinet who were in attendance.

You can read more about this historic event here: Trump’s ‘Shield of the Americas’ is Here, and the Kickoff Did Not Disappoint

You can also read more about who the obvious losers were here: The Shield of the Americas Summit’s Five Biggest Losers

Chile Is Starting Fresh 

One of the people in attendance at the summit was Chile’s new president, José Antonio Kast. His inauguration took place this week, and it was a star-studded event of mostly right-wing leaders — sort of a repeat of the Shield of the Americas without Trump and Rubio (Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau represented the U.S.). 





Kast is often called the “Chilean Trump.” He’s a Catholic family man with nine children, and he ran on strengthening the border and cracking down on crime, among other things. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t been in office two days, and he’s already sent the military to the Chilean border.   

You can read more about Kast and the inauguration here: Latin America Swings Right: Chile Can Officially Breathe a Sigh of Relief

María Corina Machado Is a Freakin’ Rock Star

One person who was in attendance at Kast’s inauguration was Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado. The woman is a freakin’ rock star. Honestly, you would have thought it was her event the way people responded. She met with foreign leaders, was given the keys to the city of Santiago, and she spoke to a crowd of — get this — at least 17,000 Venezuelans who came to see her. The people of that country genuinely love and trust that woman, and she genuinely loves them. 

While she was there, she continued to express her gratitude for the United States: “The United States is the only government that has put the lives of its citizens at risk for the freedom of Venezuela and has brought Maduro to face justice. It is something that we Venezuelans recognize and are grateful for.”

This is the crowd: 

I can’t think of a better role model for these little girls: 





Machado is the future of Venezuela, not Delcy Rodríguez or any other member of the current regime. You can read more about that here: And the Next President of Venezuela Will Be…

And here: Trump and Rubio May Have Had a Secret Meeting on Friday 

And speaking of Venezuela, if you need a good laugh: This Ain’t the Presidential Palace: A Glimpse at Maduro’s Prison Life

Gustavo Petro is Calling Trump

Speaking of Delcy, she and Colombia’s clown president, Gustavo Petro, were supposed to hold some sort of bilateral meeting on Friday. But on Thursday, Petro called Trump, and after the conversation, Petro put out a statement saying they talked about energy, security, and drug trafficking… and that Trump apologized for not inviting him to the Shield of the Americas. (Whether Trump apologized or not is not something I can verify, but Petro’s lack of invitation was not oversight. It was on purpose.) But anyway, after the phone call, Delcy and Petro’s meeting was abruptly canceled. They say due to security reasons, but I feel like this is the “security reasons”: 

via GIPHY

Colombia is on the Verge of Sanity Again

While Petro is doing whatever it is he actually does, Colombia held elections this past Sunday to vote for its legislature and to primary presidential candidates for the left, right, and center. The legislative results were kind of a mixed bag, and it remains highly fractured, but the primaries showed some major promise for the country to elect a right-winger when it goes to the polls again in May (or most likely, during a June run-off). 

You can read more about why that is here: Will Colombia Follow Its Neighbors and Make a Right-Wing Comeback?

This will be a big story to watch in the months to come, and I’ll be on it. I’ve received several emails from anxious people in Colombia in recent weeks. 

Cuba is Desperate 

I don’t want to write a lot about Cuba because I feel like that’s all I’ve done all week. Here are the most important things you need to know about that situation based on this week’s actions: 

1. As I’m writing this on Friday evening, the country’s citizens are entering night eight of protests over their poor living conditions. 

2. USA Today — and then every other media outlet — came out this week and said that Trump and the Cuban regime had almost reached a deal that would leave the Castros in place, yada, yada. I didn’t buy it. Turns out, it wasn’t true. Several members of Congress have since confirmed.   





3. Trump continues to float a “friendly takeover” of the country, and he says Rubio is on it.   

4. On Friday morning, in a desperate attempt to buy itself some time and make itself look rational, the Cuban regime announced publicly that it is currently “negotiating” with the U.S. It also claimed it will release 51 (of over 1,200) political prisoners as a gesture of goodwill. And it’s going to allow the FBI to investigate that whole boat situation from a couple of weeks ago. It’s all theater. 

You can learn more by checking out some of my Cuba updates from this week (this is why I never get around to writing much about other countries – Cuba and Venezuela are spotlight hogs):  

1. Is It Happening? Cuban Regime Makes a Big Announcement

2. Díaz-Balart Sets the Record Straight on Rumors About Cuba

3. Trump Talks ‘Takeover’ Again as Cuban Protests Hit Day 4

4. The Cuban Regime Has a Growing Problem — and It’s Not Just Trump and Rubio

Claudia Sheinbaum is a Narco-Loser 

Mexico wasn’t represented at the Shield of the Americas. When asked about it, narco-president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said she wasn’t invited because… she and the U.S. already have a security understanding. Something tells me that wasn’t the “why” behind her lack of invitation. As a matter of fact, while speaking at the summit, Trump made it clear that Mexico is the epicenter of cartel violence, and he’s offered her every tool the U.S. has, including boots on the ground, to eradicate them, but she says no. It’s all about Mexico’s sovereignty, she claims. 

Funnily enough, as I’m writing this, Trump just posted something on Truth Social implying that she’s owned by the cartels. The whole world knows it, Claudia. You can only cry “sovereignty” so many times. For what it’s worth, she also suffered a huge legislative defeat this week, so she’s not doing so well domestically or internationally. If we take out the Cuban regime, and Colombia and Brazil vote for right-wing presidents this year, Sheinbaum is going to find herself awfully isolated in the region if she doesn’t become more cooperative with the U.S.  

Brazil Is in Desperate Need of Better Leadership

And let’s hope Brazil swings to the right when it goes to the polls in October, because the current corrupt socialist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, needs to go. He was supposed to visit the White House this month, but he’s now postponed that because of… Iran. As I said earlier in the week, Lula’s entire foreign policy is an XL “I heart China” t-shirt. Lula also revoked the visa of senior Trump advisor Darren Beattie, who was set to visit imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro. 





Lula’s main opponent this October, when he’s up for reelection, is Jair’s son, Flávio. And while Lula has been ahead in the polls for months, Flávio is actually catching up with him, with many polls showing a virtual tie. The country is split, and Lula will do everything he can between now and October to ensure he wins. Oh, and speaking of Jair Bolsonaro, his family reports on Friday that he’s very sick with pneumonia and currently in an ICU in Brasília. The family is still pushing for house arrest as he serves out his unjust jail time because of his health. I really need to write more about Brazil because this will be a big story this year as well. Maybe when Cuba calms down…

Bolivia Is Taking Down Drug Lords 

I don’t have much to say on this one, aside from the fact that Bolivia’s new center-right president, Rodrigo Paz, who was also at the Shield of the Americas summit, is turning out to be a great U.S. partner, and he’s only a few months into his presidency. On Friday, the State Department announced that under his leadership, Bolivia captured one of the most notorious and wanted drug traffickers in the world.

Daniel Noboa is My New Favorite

Ecuador has been asking the U.S. for help in the battle against organized crime in the region for two years. Joe Biden, who largely ignored the Americas, offered up… sanctions and slaps on the wrist or something like that. Trump and Rubio have offered up the FBI and the military. I’m not going to write much about this here, but I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more out of Ecuador in the months and maybe even years to come. Their young president, Daniel Noboa, is amazing. I was actually up super late last night watching interviews with him and learning more about the country and its problems. He just turned 40, but he’s got the brains and wisdom of someone much more experienced, and I’m really looking forward to covering Ecuador more. He’s easily becoming one of my new favorite leaders in the region — watch out, Nayib Bukele. You have some competition.  

You can read more about him and what he’s doing for his country and ours here: FBI Opens Office in Ecuador Amid Warnings of Hamas, Hezbollah, and IRGC Presence





Catherine also wrote something about our joint operations with Ecuador this week: Ecuador Operation: Traffickers Lose 1.6 Tons of Drugs in U.S. Strike

The Fear Is Gone  

Last but not least, I wanted to give a little shout-out to the people of some of these countries I write about. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) recently said, “When people lose their fear, dictatorships begin to fall.” 

One common theme in all of these stories across the entire hemisphere is that the people are truly losing their fear. We’re seeing it in the way they vote. We’re seeing it in the way they speak out on social media. We’re seeing it in the way they protest in countries where protesting can get you detained, jailed, disappeared, or murdered. Trump can knock out every dictatorship in the world, but the only way they’ll stay out of power is if the people in their countries decide they’re never going to let it happen again. 

Earlier this week, in Venezuela, we saw something that hasn’t been seen there in years: Protesters ignoring police presence, unafraid to use their voices. On Thursday, there was a workers’ protest, with people demanding real employment and wages. We want jobs, not government handouts, they cried. (Kind of the opposite of most Democrat voters in the U.S.) It was truly beautiful to watch. 

In Cuba, as I mentioned, Friday, March 13, is day eight of the protests. People are tired of being in the dark. They’re tired of having no food. College students are having sit-ins. Younger kids are walking out of their classrooms. Adults are gathering in the streets of Havana and towns across the island at night, demanding the fall of communism and the end of the regime. Many are shouting for Trump’s help. They’re starting fires. They’re spray painting things like “down with communism” on the walls of schools and public buildings. The movement is growing, and even the regime acknowledged it on Friday morning.  





I pray every day for the people of these countries, and it’s so wonderful to see them “lose their fear” and demand the God-given rights that were taken away from them by evil men. May they continue to rise up. 

—–

Well, that’s it for me. I was up late last night learning about Ecuador and up early this morning listening to the Cuban regime, so I think I’m going to go take a nap and maybe take Saturday off or mostly off, but I’ll be back with all kinds of great stories from the Americas. And if there’s something you’d like me to cover, please feel free to email me (the link is in my bio). I’m still catching up on responses, but I always read them and appreciate every single one.  

And as I say, Rubio isn’t handing me exclusives… yet. I hear he’s been busy shoe shopping this week anyway… I’m kidding, I’m kidding. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’ll have to Google it. I’m not linking to that garbage. If that’s the worst the fake news can find to print, we’re doing well.)

Have a great weekend, y’all! 


The Western Hemisphere is HOT right now, and you won’t find high-level coverage like PJ Media offers in the MSM. But we can only do it with your help. You can ensure that we can continue to keep you informed by becoming a PJ Media VIP member. It’s less than $20 for the entire year, and you get some cool perks too. We can’t wait to have you! 





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