What do we know about the “Monroe Doctrine”? – Mehr news agency RCO News Agency

Mehr News Agency, International Group: The US military attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of the country’s president, although it was introduced as a security measure on the surface, but on a deeper level, Washington’s explicit return to one of the oldest and The most controversial revealed its foreign policy documents; A document that Donald Trump openly cited as an “updated version” of the doctrine Monroe called This reference is a clear acknowledgment of the revival of imperial logic in the contemporary world; A logic that the post-World War II legal order was formed precisely to contain.

doctrine Monroe which in 1823 by James Monroe The president of America at the time was declared to be a reaction to the competition of European powers over the colonies of the American continent. But what was initially proposed as a “warning to Europe” gradually became a tool to justify American dominance over Latin America. Today, Trump’s invocation of this doctrine to justify the de facto occupation of Venezuela shows that the United States has not only bypassed that logic, but has used it more openly and violently than in the past.

doctrine Monroe; From the claim of defense to the tool of domination

In December 1823, James Monroe In his annual speech to Congress, he announced that the American continent was no longer a legitimate arena for colonization or intervention by European powers. On the other hand, America also pledged not to interfere in the internal affairs of Europe. This declaration was apparently based on the principle of separation of spheres, but in practice it had a clear message: America considers itself the political guardian of the Western Hemisphere.

At that historical moment, America was still a nascent power and did not have extensive military power. But with the passage of time and expansion of economic and military power, the doctrine Monroe It changed from a defensive position to an offensive policy. This doctrine was no longer interpreted as “keeping Europe away”, but as “American monopoly” on the fate of Latin American nations. This change of meaning, especially since the beginning of the 20th century, paved the way for Washington’s endless interventions and turned Latin America into a laboratory for coups, occupations and sanctions.

Legitimizing direct intervention

A dangerous turning point in the history of doctrine MonroeIt was the year 1904; When Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States at the time, added what became known as the “Roosevelt Amendment” to this doctrine. He declared that America reserves the right to intervene directly in Latin American countries to prevent European intervention. Simply put, Washington introduced itself as the district police. This logic was formed precisely after the Venezuelan debt crisis in 1902 and 1903; When several European countries surrounded Venezuela to collect their demands. America entered the field not to defend Venezuela’s sovereignty, but to eliminate European competitors.

Since then, the occupation of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua and dozens of other direct and indirect interventions were all based on the same logic. doctrine Monroe Gradually, it became a political umbrella under which any kind of violation of sovereignty was made legitimate.

20th century; Latin America as a backyard

During the 20th century the doctrine Monroe Not only was it not abandoned, it was also updated. During the Cold War, Washington overthrew elected governments, strengthened dictatorships, and waged proxy wars under the guise of “fighting communism.” Chile’s coup against Salvador Allende, support for military regimes in Argentina and Brazil, support for death squads in El Salvador and Guatemala, and devastating wars in Nicaragua were all links in a chain linked to the doctrine. Monroe They are legitimized. In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan pursued this policy even more vigorously. Support for right-wing armed groups, the arms-smuggling scandal, and relentless pressure on Cuba all showed that the doctrine Monroe No longer a historical document, but a practical guide to mastery.

Venezuela; The apparent return of doctrine to the scene

What happened in Venezuela in January 2026 is the culmination of this historical path. Donald Trump not only implicitly but explicitly stated that the military operation against Venezuela within the framework of the doctrine Monroe has done He even went further and said that the US will “govern Venezuela” so that the transfer of power, according to him, is “safe”.

These statements have no meaning other than the complete denial of Venezuela’s national sovereignty. America no longer even pretends to respect international law. doctrine Monroe In Trump’s words, it means Washington’s absolute right to determine the fate of other nations. This is precisely the logic that the United Nations was founded to bury. But today, the greatest contender for world order has returned to the logic of the 19th century.

doctrine Monroe In direct conflict with international law

From the point of view of international law doctrine Monroe It has no place. This doctrine is a unilateral domestic policy of the United States and cannot violate the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter. The principle of not resorting to force, the principle of the equality of governments and the principle of non-interference, all directly with logic Monroe are in conflict

But the main problem here is that America does not consider itself bound by these principles. When Washington imposes sanctions on the judges of the International Criminal Court and at the same time allows itself to forcefully arrest the president of another country, it is clear that international law is a tool of choice from its point of view. doctrine Monroe In this context, it expresses in a more explicit language: the law is for others, not for us.

The return of the doctrine Monroe In the form of military operations, it has consequences beyond Venezuela. This action normalizes a dangerous rule; That great powers can ignore borders and overthrow governments based on their interests. If this logic remains without cost, we can no longer talk about international order. What remains is the “order of force”; An order in which each dominant power can have its own version of the doctrine Monroe write the

the result

Trump’s invocation of the doctrine Monroe More than a sign of strength, it is a sign of the decline of the liberal order. A power that takes refuge in 19th-century documents instead of international law is actually admitting that it can no longer justify its dominance by common rules. Venezuela today is the scene of this dangerous return, but the real audience is the whole world. doctrine Monroe If it is put on the basis of action again, it will push back not only Latin America, but the entire world order to the era when force took the place of law, and this is perhaps the clearest sign that the world is entering the age of “post-paid be international.