Source: HT
Subject: International Relations
Context: The U.S. action against Venezuela and the capture of its president has been justified by Donald Trump by invoking the Monroe Doctrine, a 19th-century U.S. policy.
About Monroe Doctrine:
What it is?
- The Monroe Doctrine is a U.S. foreign policy principle asserting that the Western Hemisphere is the exclusive sphere of influence of the United States, and that any external (especially European) interference would be treated as a hostile act against the U.S.
Established in:
- Proclaimed on December 2, 1823 by James Monroe, the 5th President of the United States.
- Announced during his State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress.
Core features of the doctrine:
- No new European colonisation: European powers should not establish new colonies in North or South America.
- Non-interference warning: Any European intervention in the Americas would be viewed as a threat to U.S. security.
- Reciprocal restraint: The U.S. promised not to interfere in existing European colonies or in European internal affairs.
- Separate spheres: The political systems of Europe and the Americas were to remain distinct.
Expansion through the Roosevelt Corollary:
- In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary, claiming a U.S. right to intervene in Latin American countries to prevent instability or European involvement—especially over debt crises.
- This transformed the doctrine from a defensive warning into a tool of active intervention.
Link to the recent Venezuela issue:
- In January 2026, after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump described the operation as a modern update of the Monroe Doctrine.
- The U.S. argued that instability in Venezuela and the presence of rival global powers justified American control during a “transition period”.
- Critics argue this represents neo-imperialism, reviving a doctrine historically used to justify U.S. interventions in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and now Venezuela.
