For more than a century, the United States has treated Latin America as its sphere of influence—its so-called "backyard."

Research by Columbia University historian John Coatsworth shows that the US has overthrown or intervened in at least 41 governments across the region, often using military force or covert operations to shape outcomes in its favor.

From CIA-backed coups and failed assassination attempts on leaders like Fidel Castro to full-scale military invasions in places like Panama and Grenada, Washington's influence in Latin America has been constant and far-reaching.

Now, under President Trump's renewed vision of American power, that influence is being reasserted in a dramatically changing world.

The world order that defined the last three decades is shifting. The unipolar dominance the US enjoyed after the Cold War is giving way to a multipolar reality—one where Russia and China demand their own spheres of influence.

Trump appears to recognize that maintaining total global supremacy is no longer sustainable. Instead, he is steering the US toward a strategy of controlled retrenchment: accepting a multipolar world but trying to ensure America remains the biggest power within it.