The dramatic capture of Nicolas Maduro by US military forces in Venezuela, ordered by Donald Trump’s administration, may have shocked the world but it follows a 200-year-old American playbook of US intervention in Latin America, known as the Monroe Doctrine.
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In this FourSight explainer we look at how Donald Trump’s foreign policy echoes previous US operations in the region, but also how his so-called ‘Donroe’ Doctrine represents a radical shift in American power.
We dive into Trump’s new National Security Strategy and his plan for a "reasonably stable and well-governed" Western Hemisphere, examining why the US is trading "narco-terrorist" rhetoric for massive oil deals and how a distinctly 19th-century vision is being used to justify modern-day regime change.
While the Monroe Doctrine was originally a defensive posture warning European colonial powers to stay out of the hemisphere, it has evolved into something far more interventionist. We explore the history of US operations from the Spanish-American War to Cold War coups in Guatemala and Chile, showing how Presidents from Roosevelt to Reagan used American might to secure their interests. Today, the Trump administration is using this 200-year-old approach to target modern rivals like China and Russia.
We speak to experts Dr. Grace Livingstone, Professor Richard Drayton, and Professor Alan McPherson to help us analyse whether this is a return to an "informal empire" or the start of a new, more dangerous era of geopolitical instability.
From threats against Colombia and Cuba to the surprising interest in Greenland, we ask what happens when the US acts without restraint in its own backyard. We also look at the human cost in Venezuela, where the removal of a leader has not yet resolved the cycle of violence, economic collapse, and mass migration.
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