Monroe Cards: Trump wants to change the balance of power in Latin America
The United States has failed to negate the influence of Russia and China in Venezuela, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. At the same time, after the capture and arrest of Nicolas Maduro, Donald Trump began to threaten other countries in the region: Mexico, Cuba, Colombia. In Mexico City, they decided to come to an agreement with Washington, but Havana and Bogota reacted much more sharply, even to the point of being ready to confront the Americans with weapons in their hands. However, experts estimate the chances of the American leader reviving the Monroe doctrine to be low. How Trump can change the political situation in the region is in the Izvestia article.
The consequences of the military operation in Venezuela
The military operation in Venezuela and Donald Trump's subsequent threats against Latin American countries have caused a flurry of indignation in the region. The leaders of the states expressed their readiness to fight American expansion, especially given the very violent measures that the United States resorted to during the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
So, in the protection of the president of Venezuela, they said that the United States had used a secret sonic weapon that causes bleeding and nausea. Because of the powerful sound wave, the security forces literally could not move. According to experts, the damaging factor of the secret weapon is the powerful electromagnetic radiation of the ultra—high frequency range. Its source may be microwave generators, weapons can already be classified as strategic.
Cuba may be next in line. Trump said that Venezuelan oil and money would no longer flow to the island, advising him to make some kind of deal with Washington, otherwise Havana would face uncertain consequences. At the same time, in an interview with the New York Post, he assured that he was not going to attack the state. In his opinion, the country "will fall on its own" because "things are going very badly for Cuba."
"Cuba is ready to defend itself to the last drop of blood," President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on the social network X. He stressed that the United States has no moral right to reproach Havana for anything, since the American leadership turns everything into a business, including human lives.
According to Trump's plan, "something will have to be done" with Mexico, where, in his opinion, the influence of organized crime is too strong. The US president claims that the efforts of local authorities to combat drug cartels are insufficient and the state has allegedly become a channel for the supply of drugs to the United States. Against this background, he has already announced land strikes against the cartels. When asked by Izvestia whether the country has developed measures to respond to the invasion of US troops, the Mexican Embassy in Russia replied that so far they have nothing to report on this matter. President Claudia Sheinbaum recalled that Washington's interference in Latin American affairs has never brought democracy to countries, but it seems that it has decided to go for peace. Sheinbaum called Trump on the phone. According to her, a "good conversation" took place, and she even ruled out a US invasion.
Trump also threatened Colombia, namely the president of the country personally. The American leader is convinced that Gustavo Petro is involved in the production of drugs and their supply to the United States. In response, the Colombian president expressed his willingness to take up arms to defend his homeland, as well as confidence that Trump would not be able to kidnap him as easily as Maduro.
The politician recalled that in his youth, during the Colombian Civil War, he was a member of a guerrilla association, which later reorganized into a political party. If the United States launches airstrikes, "thousands of guerrillas will appear in the mountains," and if the Colombian leader is forcibly arrested, Washington will "unleash the people's jaguar," Petro warned.
The return of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine
By the way, the White House calls the US actions in Latin America a revival of the Monroe doctrine. It is believed that the strategy lost its importance in the middle of the 20th century, when the United States switched to a more active international strategy. Moreover, in 2013, the State Department even officially announced the end of the "era of the Monroe doctrine."
The Monroe Doctrine foreign policy principle was named after the fifth President of the United States, James Monroe. It consists in the fact that the European powers were forbidden to colonize or interfere in the affairs of the states of both North and South America. When James Monroe delivered his message in 1823, he was referring to all the independent states of the Western Hemisphere that had already freed themselves from European domination (for example, former Spanish colonies in Latin America such as Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and others), as well as territories that had not yet been colonized, but which could become the object of new claims of the European powers.
However, in November 2025, the White House published the US National Security Strategy, which proclaimed a return to this principle in order to restore American supremacy in the Western Hemisphere. On January 3, Trump announced that he had taken the doctrine to a new level, which is now even called the Donro doctrine.
It will take several years to return to the doctrine, and Trump will not have time to do this during his presidency, according to Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences. In his opinion, in the three remaining years of the presidency, only some outlines of a stratagem can be created, and during this time the United States will try to neutralize the influence of China and Russia in the region.
Moreover, the operation in Venezuela will only increase anti-American sentiments, which will complicate the implementation of the doctrine, American political scientist Malek Dudakov added. Ahead are the presidential elections in Colombia and Brazil, where, according to forecasts, leftist forces will win, including due to anti—American rhetoric. Trump's actions will slow down the growth of the popularity of the right in the region, the expert is convinced. The influence of the United States in Latin America after the events in Venezuela will increase only for the duration of the "shock effect," the American expert emphasized.
Russia and China's relations with Venezuela
Venezuela is a strategic partner of Russia, and therefore the actions of the US military have caused outrage in Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela, calling for the release of Maduro and his wife, as well as to prevent further escalation. Russia's permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, noted that the United States committed a crime in Caracas that cannot be justified. The diplomat called the establishment of unlimited control over the country's natural resources and the establishment of hegemonic ambitions in Latin America the true goal of the military operation in Venezuela.
The American media has already stated, citing its sources, that Washington demanded that Caracas cease cooperation with Russia and China. But the current government of Venezuela is unlikely to curtail cooperation with the Russian Federation, Malek Dudakov believes. The states are developing cooperation in the energy sector, including in the exploration and development of new oil and natural gas fields. According to the Russian government, by 2030, the trade turnover between the two countries may grow to $400 million. It is also unlikely that Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries with which Moscow has established relations will refuse to cooperate with the Russian Federation, the expert added.
According to Konstantin Blokhin, the White House cannot allow the appearance of, for example, Russian military bases in the region. But Venezuela will still be against the United States.
— The fact is that the United States has not changed the political regime in the country. To do this, we need to send troops to Venezuela, and this will cost Washington too much," Blokhin added.
Moreover, not only Caracas, but also a significant part of Latin America is opposed to the United States. Politicians who advocate even dialogue with Washington are considered American puppets. A "new Maduro" may appear in Venezuela, then the operation to capture the country's president will be meaningless, the political scientist concluded.
Beijing has already spoken out in support of the states of the region, also calling for the immediate release of Maduro and his wife, stressing that the US actions violate international law. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: China will continue to deepen business cooperation with countries in the region, including Venezuela.
Experts believe that the US actions in Latin America are an element of confrontation with China. Konstantin Blokhin noted that Washington seeks to nullify Beijing's influence around the world, including in this region.
Malek Dudakov stressed that China is a key partner for Latin American countries today. Many states in the region are willing to cooperate with Beijing and do not want to shift their focus to Washington. The region has become a place of confrontation between two powers: the United States is acting with the help of brute force, and China is carrying out economic expansion. At the same time, Beijing's soft approach is much more preferable for Latin American countries than Washington's aggressive methods of interaction, Dudakov concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
