WASHINGTON, 10 January, - (ANA) - The Monroe Doctrine goes back to 1823, but now US President Donald Trump is using it to explain his decision to forcibly remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores—and possibly other heads of state.

 

Within hours of Maduro's 3 January abduction from his residence in Caracas, Trump was invoking the Monroe Doctrine.

 

Accusing Maduro, without evidence, that he was trafficking drugs, Trump said, "All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy, dating back more than two centuries."

 

He continued, "All the way back, dated to the Monroe Doctrine. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe doctrine."

 

 

 

 

 

The Monroe Doctrine was introduced in 1823 under then-President James Monroe. The aim was to prevent further European colonialism and assert American dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

 

The Doctrine was first stated in Monroe's seventh annual message to Congress, though it was not referred to as the "Monroe Doctrine" until 1850.

 

“Of events in that quarter of the globe, with which we have so much intercourse and from which we derive our origin, we have always been anxious and interested spectators,” Monroe said in reference to advances of European imperial powers in Latin America.

 

"The citizens of the United States cherish sentiments the most friendly in favour of the liberty and happiness of their fellow-men on that side of the Atlantic. In the wars of the European powers in matters relating to themselves, we have never taken any part, nor does it comport with our policy to do so," the US president continued in his speech.

 

"It is only when our rights are invaded or seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our defence. With the movements in this hemisphere, we are of necessity more immediately connected, and by causes which must be obvious to all enlightened and impartial observers. The political system of the allied powers is essentially different in this respect from that of America," he said, as he pointed to European aggression and made the case for US dominance in the region.

 

At that time, the European colonial powers ruled over Latin America, and US leaders were concerned about further encroachment into their backyard, or the Western Hemisphere.

 

 

 

 

In 1904, the Roosevelt Corollary, under then-president Theodore Roosevelt, added that the US could intervene in Latin America, acting as something of a regional police force, under certain circumstances.

 

This resulted in the US military deploying in Santo Domingo in 1904, Nicaragua in 1911, and Haiti in 1915, under its stated policy of keeping the Europeans out. At the time, many Latin Americans viewed these moves with scepticism.

 

 In 1962, the term came up again during the "Cuban Missile Crisis" under then-President John F. Kennedy, when the Soviet Union began building missile sites in Cuba. The US sent naval and air forces to surround the island nation until the Soviet Union withdrew.

 

The US would go on to support at least 10 military interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean under the banner of freedom.

 

"Under any circumstances a sufficient armament would have to be kept up to serve the purposes of international police; and until international cohesion and the sense of international duties and rights are far more advanced than at present, a nation desirous both of securing respect for itself and of doing good to others must have a force adequate for the work which it feels is allotted to it as its part of the general world duty," Roosevelt says in his speech to Congress, in which he seems to suggest that the US has a duty to police Latin America.

 

"Therefore it follows that a self-respecting, just, and far-seeing nation should on the one hand endeavour by every means to aid in the development of the various movements which tend to provide substitutes for war, which tend to render nations in their actions toward one another, and indeed toward their own peoples, more responsive to the general sentiment of humane and civilized mankind," he continues, seeming to refer to US support for Latin American political movements.

 

At the time of Roosevelt's speech, the Spanish Empire was in decline, and the US was offering to support Spanish colonies in their independence movements. This help came at a high price—continued US control in these countries, sometimes for decades in the case of the Philippines, and other times indefinitely, as in the cases of Guam, Puerto Rico and Cuba's Guantánamo Bay.

 

 

 

 

Trump is now using language similar to that of Monroe and Roosevelt, though in much blunter terms.

 

Prior to Maduro's seizure, the White House shared a commemoration of the Monroe Doctrine on its website in early December, part of the celebration of the country's 250th anniversary.

 

"The United States will never waver in defence of our homeland, our interests, or the well-being of our citizens.  Today, my Administration proudly reaffirms this promise under a new ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine:  That the American people—not foreign nations nor globalist institutions—will always control their own destiny in our hemisphere," reads the statement, noting that the original Monroe Doctrine from more than 200 years ago foretold present-day American dominance.

 

"In the centuries since, President Monroe's doctrine of sovereignty has guarded the American continents against communism, fascism, and foreign infringement, and as the 47th President of the United States, I am proudly reasserting this time-honoured policy," the statement continues.

 

Using similar language to that of the US protecting and defending the Western Hemisphere, the doctrine was also noted in the administration's National Security Strategy, issued in November.

 

On top of the brazen operation, a different approach than the CIA-backed covert operations from the past, Trump has not hesitated to discuss his plans to take Venezuela's oil. He has also confirmed that he plans to stay in Venezuela for the foreseeable future.

 

This is happening at a time when most of the world, including Americans, has grown tired of imperialism and so-called forever wars.

 

Nevertheless, even at the height of traditional imperialism, territorial expansion to secure natural resources continues. This can be seen in deep-sea mining and military expansion in the Arctic by the US, Russia and China. Trump now appears to have his sights set on Greenland.

 

Many Americans would prefer that their administration focus on domestic politics, such as healthcare and high prices. Some have speculated that Trump's failure to address domestic needs was behind his actions in Venezuela and threats to other countries, which wouldn’t be the first time people have felt abandoned for foreign exploits.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/10 January 2026 - - -