Below is a geopolitical map of the Western Hemisphere as I see it today.

The principal geopolitical foes of the US in the Western Hemisphere—Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua—are firmly in the China and Russia camp.

Other countries can shift depending on the outcome of recent elections.

Here's an overview of some of the most geopolitically important countries in the Western Hemisphere to help frame the broader picture.

Venezuela

A military confrontation over Venezuela appears increasingly likely.

Since Hugo Chávez's rise to power in 1999, Caracas has aligned itself with Russia and China. Venezuela's vast oil and gold reserves make it a geopolitical prize. The country holds the world's largest proven oil reserves—over 303 billion barrels, around 17 % of the global total—concentrated in the Orinoco Belt. That's more oil than Saudi Arabia's reported reserves.

For China and Russia, Venezuela represents a geopolitical foothold in America's backyard—much like how the US uses Taiwan and Ukraine to do the same to Beijing and Moscow.