Venezuela’s communal movement rallied with Maduro in Caracas while the US escalates military planning in the region.Mexico City, Mexico, November 14, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro joined thousands of members of Venezuela’s Communal Youth Committees on the streets of western Caracas for a march Thursday as a show of support for the country’s communal movement and for an upcoming popular consultation.Venezuela’s organized communities will vote on November 23 for selected local initiatives that will receive financial support from the state, the fourth such consultation this year, in a process that has become a crucial decision-making mechanism for the country’s grassroots governance structures known as communes.Officials framed the popular consultations as more than a routine vote, casting them as a showcase of grassroots power and the participatory democracy the government is focusing on strengthening in partnership with local communities.Venezuela recently celebrated the 4,000th officially registered commune, called Comuna General Rafael Urdaneta. Maduro said the aim is to reach a total of 6,000 communes by 2027 and has emphasized that these efforts signal “the birth of a new communal phase” in the South American country.Thursday’s mobilization, which began at Plaza Sucre and wound through several neighborhoods before ending at El Calvario, was also a show of support from the communal youth for the Venezuelan president as he faces down US aggression.Senior US military and intelligence officials recently presented Donald Trump with updated options for possible operations in Venezuela, including potential strikes on land.According to the report from CBS News, no final decision to strike targets inside Venezuela has been made. Nonetheless, analysts have stated that the level of planning and assets deployed indicates the US is seriously considering plans to oust the Maduro government.New Maritime Route Between China and Venezuela an ‘Unprecedented Logistical Progress’The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group recently entered the US Southern Command’s area of responsibility in the region to escalate the US’ present military buildup near Venezuelan territory. The carrier strike group joins several warships, a nuclear-powered submarine and around 10,000 US troops stationed in the region since August.The Trump administration has paired its military planning with increasingly forceful rhetoric in its public messaging. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Thursday the launch of “Operation Southern Spear,” billed as a major hemispheric security mission led by US Southern Command.Hegseth described it as an effort to target “narco-terrorist” networks throughout the Western Hemisphere, and assert control over what it calls the US’ “neighborhood.” The US Southern Command had a deployment called Southern Spear earlier in 2025, but officials have not clarified if the present operation is a continuation.The latest announcement underscores Washington’s interest in expanding its aggressive stance throughout the entire region.Since September, US forces have unleashed a maritime bombing campaign, with over a dozen strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats that have killed at least 80 people. US actions have faced intense scrutiny from the international community.At a recent high-level summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), world leaders issued a call for respect for international law and restraint from the US.“We coincide in the relevance of international cooperation, mutual respect and full adherence to international law, including in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking,” read the summit’s joint communiqué.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also recently condemned the US military actions, labeling them as “unacceptable” and calling for an investigation into the strikes.The Trump administration’s military buildup and threats against Venezuela follow accusations that Caracas is involved in drug trafficking. However, reports from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) over the years have identified Venezuela as a marginal player in global drug trafficking. (Venezuelanalysis)