Gen. Richardson’s tour exposes the enormous risks the continent faces in asserting its sovereignties.

On Tuesday, Mission Truth, an independent group of researchers analyzing contemporary geopolitical issues, published a report highlighting the reasons why the United States and its Southern Command (SouthCom) are seeking to intensify their military presence in South America. Below is the report from Mission Truth.

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Laura Richardson, head of the U.S. Southern Command, was received in Chile for the third time this year, this time to attend an emblematic event of the institution: the South American Defense Conference (Southdec).

In this edition, the theme focused on “Leveraging New Technologies for the Common Defense of Hemispheric Sovereignty,” a predictable approach given that Chile is situated at a crucial point in terms of strategic resources, with its vast lithium reserves and an increasingly prominent geopolitical profile in the U.S. perspective.

Richardson’s presence in this South American country is an indicator that the U.S. interest in Chilean lithium is not merely economic but also military. This mineral has become indispensable in the development of defense technologies, ranging from energy storage systems to advanced weaponry.

In fact, Richardson made this clear in 2023 during her speech at the Atlantic Council: “Why does this region matter? With all its rich resources and rare earth elements… The Lithium Triangle, between Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, contains 60 percent of the world’s lithium.” This is not a passing comment; it is a strategic manifesto.

Previously, Chilean President Gabriel Boric attempted to mark an “innovative” turning point by launching the “National Lithium Strategy.” However, a year later, the visit of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to Albemarle’s operations center in Chile made it evident that his new strategy, with its spirit of safeguarding and sovereign development of that resource, would be left in limbo.

At that time, Yellen stated that Chile guarantees Washington’s energy security and signed agreements that expand U.S. participation in the supply chain. The persistent presence of Richardson and key figures such as Yellen indicates that Chile’s “national” strategy has been sidelined. The U.S. is not willing to lose control over a resource vital to its military industry, with Chile holding 36 percent of the world’s lithium reserves.

Venezuela in Richardson’s Sights

Since Richardson took over as head of SouthCom, Venezuela has become a recurring point in her speeches at Southdec, the Command’s annual security conference. At each edition, she seizes the opportunity to label the country as a “threat,” as she did in Ecuador and Colombia in previous years:

• Ecuador 2022: “Russia is also trying to manipulate populations through disinformation campaigns and malicious cyber activity. Russia continues to support authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.”
• Colombia 2023: “The dire situation in Venezuela casts a large shadow over the region. The fact is that these cross-border threats demand our attention because they place an undue burden on our citizens.”

“The democracy and its core values remain under attack on a global scale. And we need not look further than Venezuela, where Nicolas Maduro continues to undermine the democratic will of the Venezuelan people, having already caused the flight of 7.5 million people, increasing irregular migration in South and Central America,” Gen. Richardson said during the 2024 inaugural ceremony.

These mentions and visits are not just symbolic. They are a clear indication of the United States’ agenda to maintain its influence in the southern part of the continent, particularly at a time when powers like China and Russia have strengthened their presence in the region.

However, the hardening of rhetoric comes in a scenario where Latin American presidents such as Boric have taken a hostile stance against Venezuela after the presidential elections, an open sign of the subordination of their foreign policy to Washington’s strategic priorities.

In short, Gen. Richardson’s tour not only reaffirms the United States’ anxiety over control of key resources like lithium but also exposes the enormous risks the continent faces in asserting its sovereignties.

teleSUR/ JF Source: Mission Truth

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