Trillbilly Worker's Party Episode 426: Paper Jaguars (w/ special guest Alexander Aviña)
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Jan 8, 2026 This week’s guest is Alexander Aviña, a scholar specializing in Latin American politics. He dives deep into Trump’s controversial actions in Venezuela, discussing the implications of Maduro's alleged kidnapping and the muted response from Latin American leaders. Aviña also examines the strategic motives behind U.S. interventions, connecting them to oil interests and countering China. The conversation shifts to domestic issues, linking ICE’s violence to broader interventionist policies, and reflecting on the political landscape shaped by these events.
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Projection Over Practical Power
- Latin American leaders reacted weakly to the Venezuela abduction, reflecting fear of being targeted next.
- The operation aimed to project U.S. power symbolically even if material control is limited.
Use Legal Process To Expose Empire
- Use Maduro’s court case to put U.S. extraterritorial law on trial rhetorically if possible.
- Push legal defense toward asserting head-of-state immunity and exposing U.S. projection.
Revanchism From South Florida Politics
- Marco Rubio and South Florida exile politics push a revanchist agenda to roll back 20th-century Latin American reforms.
- That coalition views actions against Cuba and Venezuela as reclaiming lost economic and political dominance.
