Is getting involved in Latin America an America First policy? An interview with Shea Bradley-Farrell

Shea Bradley-Farrell is a national security expert, president of the Counterpoint Institute, and former Department of State advisor during the first Trump administration. On the occasion of her latest book, "Last Warning to the West," she visited Argentina to present it to a packed house at a quaint hotel in Buenos Aires, the country's capital.

Dr. Bradley-Farrell's book features recommendations from leading voices in the conservative world, such as host Lou Dobbs (deceased 2024), Michael Flynn, Kari Lake, Tucker Carlson and Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona.

Regarding her visit to Argentina, the geopolitical expert was invited by two think tanks: the Free Foundation, which aims to connect the conservative world of the United States and Europe with the Rio de la Plata region, and the Center for Fundamental Rights of Hungary.

In this context, she gave an interview to VOZ, in which she analyzed the foreign policies of  Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, discussed the global context and explained the main ideas of her book.

The Trump-Rubio doctrine

On Trump's foreign policy in this second term and its main differences with the first, she highlighted the focus being placed on Latin America.

"We in the United States really neglected, I believe, our Latin American partners. But Trump and Marco Rubio, our secretary of state, really believe that the Western Hemisphere is very important not to just just to support our allies, but also for our shared hemispheric defense"

In addition, Bradley-Farrell explained why this policy is beneficial to the country's national interests: "With the United States staying out of Latin America, not totally, of course, but not putting a focus on our foreign policy, that has allowed China, Iran, Russia, even terrorists, Hezbollah, to come into our hemisphere. And that doesn't make sense. We have a responsibility together to protect our homeland."

Furthermore, she compared this foreign policy to the Monroe Doctrine, given that it rejects "other world powers close to the hemisphere," but also seeks "mutual, genuine, fraternal cooperation in defense and also in economic matters."

Is looking to Latin America still America First?

In a context of intense ideological discussions within the Republican Party, especially on foreign policy, many conservative voices are criticizing Trump's decision to get involved in Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia. Their argument? An active United States on the geopolitical chessboard is not a policy of "America First."

The expert disagreed with that imprint, noting that protecting U.S. interests in the region is critical.

"This is our hemisphere. So if we allow terrorists, we allow our adversaries to come into this hemisphere and invest like Iran, China, and Russia. How silly is that? Of course, it's America first. And it also meets our very top domestic priorities, which is to close our borders. It is border security," Bradley-Farrell continued.

She also crossed former President Joe Biden for sparking the border crisis and linked it to the increase in fentanyl deaths: "Under the Biden administration, our young people between eighteen and forty five years old, fentanyl related deaths became the number one reason for death or cause of death of the that age groups in America. Can you believe that? So Trump is doing something about it. I'm very proud."

The "ultimate" warning to the West

As for the title of her latest book, Bradley-Farrell noted that she hopes it is not the last warning to the West. However, she warned of a "slide toward Marxism" and the stripping of sovereignty from nation-states in recent years, particularly in the United States and the European Union.

Finally, the geopolitical expert answered what is the main idea she would like people to retain after reading her book.

"We have to be smart. We have to understand that wokeism comes from Marxism. One example of that is that Marxism, like wokeism, divides people. Communism divided people along class lines, divided children from their mothers and fathers. People from religion. If you divide people away from religion, you can control them. Today, the left divides us on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, elevating non-identity. (...) I want people to understand that wokeism or progressivism is not progressive, it's actually reprogressive," she concluded.

Full interview with Shea Bradley-Farrell