Andres Martinez-Fernandez is a senior policy analyst at the Conservative Heritage Foundation.

There is just a massive wave of pro-US, more conservative leaders coming to office in Latin America.

Colombia and Peru being the latest, but you've had half a dozen just in the past year or so coming to power.

We're also excited for what we expect to be a great rekindling of a great partnership between the United States and Colombia.

I think there is very much a response to the opportunity that the region has now with the Trump administration being so actively engaged with the Western hemisphere to a level that we really haven't seen before in American history.

And that is opening up very important and unique opportunities for pursuing very important security gains.

Andres Martinez-Fernandez is a senior policy analyst at the Conservative Heritage Foundation.

There is just a massive wave of pro-US, more conservative leaders coming to office in Latin America.

Colombia and Peru being the latest, but you've had half a dozen just in the past year or so coming to power.

We're also excited for what we expect to be a great rekindling of a great partnership between the United States and Colombia.

I think there is very much a response to the opportunity that the region has now with the Trump administration being so actively engaged with the Western hemisphere to a level that we really haven't seen before in American history.

And that is opening up very important and unique opportunities for pursuing very important security gains.

And your answer was it has been a success.

How so? Well, I think that's right.

I think when you look at the overall situation, particularly when we compare, as we have to, the current environment with what we saw just before January, we have taken one of the more antagonistic anti-American powers in the Western Hemisphere and turned that into a cooperative, if imperfect, relationship with the regime or the government under Delcy Rodriguez.

There's a lot of progress that needs to be made, certainly on the transition towards political openness, restoration of democracy and elections.

But when you look at the steady reactivation of the oil sector already, you see signs of the benefits of increased investment and engagement from the United States managing those oil revenues as we're doing very actively with oversight.

for the first time, really, in decades for Venezuela.

And that is opening the door, as we saw very recently with the increased announcements around a transition on the political side, which the administration has, since the beginning, included within this phased process that is laid out for Venezuela.

I mean, how important is it from your perspective or do you even think the U.S. is interested in transition and how fundamental is that question as we all talk about this long-term stability that we all want for Venezuela?

And your answer was it has been a success.

How so? Well, I think that's right.

I think when you look at the overall situation, particularly when we compare, as we have to, the current environment with what we saw just before January, we have taken one of the more antagonistic anti-American powers in the Western Hemisphere and turned that into a cooperative, if imperfect, relationship with the regime or the government under Delcy Rodriguez.

There's a lot of progress that needs to be made, certainly on the transition towards political openness, restoration of democracy and elections.

But when you look at the steady reactivation of the oil sector already, you see signs of the benefits of increased investment and engagement from the United States managing those oil revenues as we're doing very actively with oversight.

for the first time, really, in decades for Venezuela.

And that is opening the door, as we saw very recently with the increased announcements around a transition on the political side, which the administration has, since the beginning, included within this phased process that is laid out for Venezuela.

I mean, how important is it from your perspective or do you even think the U.S. is interested in transition and how fundamental is that question as we all talk about this long-term stability that we all want for Venezuela?

Uh, the official US policy is stability, recovery, transition, and your answer was, "It has been a success." How so?

Well, I think that's right.

I think when you look at the overall situation, uh, particularly when we compare, as, as we have to, the current environment with what we saw just before January, we have taken one of the more antagonistic, anti-American powers in the Western hemisphere and turned that into a cooperative, if imperfect, uh, relationship with the regime, uh, or, or the, the government under Delcy Rodriguez.

There are a l- there's a lot of progress that needs to be made, certainly on the transition towards, uh, political openness, restoration of democracy and elections.

Uh, but when you look at the steady reactivation of the oil sector already, you see signs of the benefits of in- increased investment and engagement from the United States, managing those oil revenues, uh, as we're doing very actively with oversight for the first time, really, in, in decades for Venezuela.

Uh, and that is opening the door, as we saw very recently with the increased announcements around a transition on the political side, uh, which the administration has since the beginning, uh, included within this phased process, uh, that, that it's laid out for Venezuela.

And now I think, as, as is appropriate, uh, we're gonna see that, uh, begin to ramp up.

I mean, how important is it from your perspective, or do you even think the US is interested in transition, and how fundamental is that question as we all talk about this long-term stability that we all want for Venezuela?

You know, if there were a fair election, a free election, why would someone like Ortega be at risk of being ousted?

Yeah.

Well, I mean, I think, uh, people, the United States and, and in the world would know a lot more about Nicaragua if, uh, the story hadn't been, to a certain degree, overshadowed by the Venezuela crisis and the even more, uh, in, in many ways, egregious, uh, actions of the Maduro regime over the past several years.

Uh, but i- in, in a lot of ways, it's been exactly the same story in Nicaragua under Ortega, and this is, uh, just like with Venezuela, uh, had really dire consequences for the stability in the Western Hemisphere and for the American people.

You know, this is a regime which, uh, also saw itself as, uh, being directly opposed to US national security and US influence in the Western Hemisphere.

It saw itself as the check on that.

So it did that.

But, uh, i- i- is this part and parcel of that in, in Nicaragua? I mean, it, it, it's, it, it has to be connected to a degree.

I wanna get your reaction to some of those large names that come up in this report.

Well, I think it's shameful that not only that these individuals have been able to engage so directly with a hostile power and see them as partners for their political movements, but it's also shameful that this hasn't been something that has cratered their political prospects in the United States.

Again, this is a Cuban regime, which not only is it directly undermining US national security and stability, but it's also a terribly repressive regime domestically within Cuba, causing terrible suffering for the Cuban people, repression of their basic human rights and political rights, and widespread just general suffering for them as they suffer under a really farcical economic system.

So the fact that these individuals in the United States see common cause with this regime, I think, is deeply concerning.

And even more concerning than that, though, is that they seem to be, to some degree, being rewarded for those ties within the United States and within the political races that they're seeing as they advance through the ranks politically.

That's something that is deeply concerning.

And I think the American people really need to recognize what those ties are and what that means for the direction these American politicians want to take this country.

Is the Chinese Communist Party enabling the Cuban regime's communist and anti-U.S. activity?