Trump’s piracy in the Caribbean

On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office that the U.S. Navy had carried out an air strike on a boat in international waters. That boat strike rewrote U.S. policy for Latin America overnight. Three months later, 26 boats have been hit, killing more than 90 people.

The United States has codified its justification for the boat strikes as part of a new National Security Strategy, published in early December 2025. In the National Security Strategy, Trump announced a new Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which he hopes can propel the United States and the U.S. military to preeminence in the hemisphere. Trump clearly feels he has carte blanche to take whatever measure he deems necessary without regard for international law, the sovereignty of other nations, or people’s lives. This reinvisioning of U.S. policy for Latin AmericaIt has disastrous implications for the region. More missile strikes. Loss of innocent lives. And even wrapping the United States into war close to home.

Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 will respond in real time to the Trump Administration’s onslaught in Latin America. We begin today, where we started in the last episode of Season 1… in Panama.

Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox. Edited by Heather Gies.

This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.

Theme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox. Monte Perdido's new album Ofrenda is now out. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.

Resources: Under the Shadow

• You can check out the first season of Under the Shadow by clicking here
• THE BEGINNING: MONROE AND MIGRATION | UNDER THE SHADOW, EPISODE 1
• PANAMA. US INVASION. | UNDER THE SHADOW, EPISODE 13
• THE LEGACY OF MONROE | UNDER THE SHADOW, BONUS EPISODE 4 
• Michael Fox’s recent reporting on the boat strikes and the ramp-up for war in Venezuela: 
  • With the Strike on a “Drug-Carrying Boat,” Trump Returns to a Dangerous US Policy for Latin America
  • Caribbean Leaders Call for Unified Latin American Resistance to US Attacks
  • Trump’s Monroe Doctrine 2.0 Outlines Imperial Intentions for Latin America

Other Resources

• Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama (Duke, 2003), is John Lindsay Poland’s expose on the U.S. military involvement in Panama.
• You can watch the documentary, The Panama Deception, .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}