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In recent weeks, the Trump administration has openly ratcheted up threats against Venezuela. It has surged military aircraft and warships to the Caribbean, and U.S. forces have attacked at least seven boats near Venezuela. The Trump administration says that it is targeting drug traffickers and has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of working with cartels that ship drugs and immigrants to the United States. President Donald Trump recently suggested that the United States would soon shift the fight against Venezuela from the sea to the land, and he said that he authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in the country.The situation affects not only Venezuela but also neighboring states and other regional countries. We asked three experts to consider how key actors in the region might respond to a more direct conflict between the United States and Venezuela, if the situation escalates further.Read more below.Michael Weintraub Associate Professor at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, ColombiaA direct U.S.-Venezuelan conflict would trigger regional unease and sharpen ideological fault lines. Most Latin American governments would reject military intervention, emphasizing diplomatic resolution through the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States or the Organization of American States to avoid legitimizing U.S. unilateral action. Left-leaning governments such as Brazil, Colombia, and Nicaragua would likely rally rhetorically against perceived imperialism, while right-leaning governments in Argentina, Ecuador, and Paraguay might quietly support Washington but stop short of endorsing military engagement. Mexico, under President Claudia Sheinbaum, would likely stick to pragmatic non-interventionism, prioritizing migration and trade in dealings with the United States. Colombia’s government meanwhile has consistently aligned itself with Maduro — sidestepping Venezuela’s electoral fraud — while denouncing Trump-era pressure. Colombian President Gustavo Petro would likely condemn U.S. aggression and use the attack to galvanize the left in an “anti-Yankee” campaign ahead of the