{"id":6897,"date":"2026-01-07T13:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T13:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=6897"},"modified":"2026-01-07T13:14:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T13:14:38","slug":"trumps-donroe-doctrine-inspired-by-a-200years-old-foreign-policy-vision-what-it-means-on-the-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/trumps-donroe-doctrine-inspired-by-a-200years-old-foreign-policy-vision-what-it-means-on-the-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s \u2018Donroe Doctrine\u2019 Inspired by a 200Years Old Foreign Policy: What It Means on the Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

When President Donald Trump described the U.S. operation that led to the removal of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, he framed it as more than a single foreign-policy decision. He said it was the revival and reinvention of a 200 years old idea. Standing before reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump announced what he called the \u201cDonroe Doctrine,\u201d a pointed rebranding of the Monroe Doctrine that has shaped US relations with the Western Hemisphere since 1823.<\/em><\/p>\n

The original Monroe Doctrine, introduced by President James Monroe, warned European powers against colonizing or interfering in the Americas. Trump argues that his administration is restoring that principle for a new era. Which is sparked by rival powers according, illicit networks and strategic competition close to US borders, according to him.<\/p>\n

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\u201cUnder Maduro, Venezuela welcomed foreign adversaries into our region<\/em>\u201d Trump said, alleging the presence of hostile actors and weapons systems that posed a threat to U.S. lives and interests. Such actions, he argued, violated \u201cthe core principles of American foreign policy\u201d stretching back more than two centuries. \u201cWe\u2019ve superseded it by a lot,\u201d he added<\/em>. \u201cThey now call it the – Donroe Doctrine<\/em>\u201d. The White House\u2019s message was quickly reinforced by the State Department, with a post on X: \u201cThis is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s invocation of the Monroe Doctrine is not new. A portrait of James Monroe hangs near the president\u2019s desk in the Oval Office, and references to the doctrine have appeared repeatedly in Trump-era speeches and strategy documents. On the doctrine\u2019s anniversary last December, Trump praised Monroe\u2019s \u201cbold policy\u201d and announced a new \u201cTrump Corollary,\u201d later detailed in a national security strategy focused heavily on the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

What distinguishes this moment, analysts say, is the administration\u2019s willingness to pair historical language with direct action, and to present those actions as both protective and transformative.<\/p>\n

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Supporters within the administration argue the approach advances US security while opening space for democratic transitions and economic recovery in countries long plagued by corruption and repression. In Venezuela, officials have emphasized humanitarian goals, pointing to years of shortages, mass migration, and political crackdowns. \u201cThe goal is stability and a safe, orderly transition<\/em>\u201d, Marco Rubio – Secretary of State said, stressing that Washington intends to use economic leverage rather than direct governance.<\/p>\n

However, critics are warning that the language of doctrine can obscure the realities of intervention. As for many in Latin America, the Monroe Doctrine is remembered less as a shield against imperialism and more as a justification for it. The long shadow of 1823 policy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Monroe first outlined his doctrine in a routine annual message to Congress, declaring that the Americas were no longer open to European colonization. Over time, that statement evolved into a flexible tool of US power.<\/p>\n

In 1865, the US backed Mexican forces against a French-installed emperor. At the end of the 19th century, it went to war with Spain, emerging with new territories and deep influence over Cuba. President Theodore Roosevelt later expanded the doctrine with his own corollary, asserting the U.S. right to act as an \u201cinternational police power\u201d in cases of \u201cchronic wrongdoing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That expansion led to repeated US military interventions across the Caribbean and Central America. During the Cold War, the doctrine\u2019s logic merged with anti-communist strategy, shaping US involvement in coups, covert operations and confrontations, from Guatemala and Chile to Cuba\u2019s missile crisis.<\/p>\n

Eduardo Gamarra, a professor of international relations at Florida International University, has described this approach as one of strategic denial<\/em> keeping rival powers out of the region. \u201cIn the 1800s, that meant Europeans. In the 20th century, it meant the Soviet Union<\/em>\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

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By the early 2010s, US officials appeared ready to move on. In 2013, then Secretary of State John Kerry, declared the Monroe Doctrine era is over, calling instead for partnerships based on equality and shared responsibility. Which was a shift from rhetoric to action.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s return to office has marked a sharp departure from that vision. While his first term emphasized \u201cAmerica First<\/em>\u201d and skepticism of overseas entanglements, his second has featured a more assertive posture.<\/p>\n

Even before taking office again, Trump floated the idea of acquiring Greenland and regaining control of the Panama Canal, refusing to rule out force. His administration later authorized strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and steadily escalated pressure on Venezuela, through sanctions, maritime interdictions and military deployments, before the operation that led to Maduro\u2019s capture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Trump has since suggested further interventions, including in Colombia and Mexico, and warned that the US could act if Iranian authorities violently suppress protesters. Each statement reinforces the administration\u2019s claim that the United States is reclaiming control over its strategic neighborhood.<\/p>\n

The national security strategy underpinning this approach is explicit: it seeks to block \u201cnon-Hemispheric competitors<\/em>\u201d from controlling key assets or positioning forces in the Americas. It also signals a tougher stance toward European allies, accusing them of strategic drift and calling for resistance to Europe\u2019s current political trajectory.<\/p>\n

Farther than the doctrine and strategy, the consequences are deeply human. In Venezuela, families fractured by migration are watching closely to see whether political change brings relief or renewed instability. Regional leaders, meanwhile, are weighing how a more interventionist U.S. affects their own sovereignty and domestic politics.<\/p>\n

Grassroots organizations across Latin America have voiced mixed reactions. Some activists welcome pressure on authoritarian governments; others fear a return to a past where external decisions shaped local futures with little accountability.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

John Bolton, Trump\u2019s former national security adviser, has been blunt in his assessment. \u201cThere is no Trump Doctrine,\u201d he said recently. \u201cThere\u2019s no grand conceptual framework. It\u2019s whatever suits him at the moment<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Whether the \u201cDonroe Doctrine\u201d becomes a lasting pillar of U.S. foreign policy or a momentary slogan may depend less on history than on outcomes: whether it delivers stability, respects regional voices, and improves daily life for people across the hemisphere. Two centuries after Monroe\u2019s warning, the debate over who decides the Americas\u2019 future is far from settled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When President Donald Trump described the U.S. operation that led to the removal of 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