The United States has bombed and sunk dozens of boats alleged to be carrying drugs in the waters near Venezuela, killing at numerous civilians onboard ¡ª almost certainly unlawfully. It has also seized tankers full of Venezuelan oil and said it will blockade others. And with a huge military buildup, it remains ready to strike targets on land, or even to invade Venezuela, as soon as U.S. President Donald Trump gives the order.
Trump¡¯s approach to Venezuela is only one example of his attitude toward the Western Hemisphere in general and boils down to this: We do whatever we want because we can. To give this policy a sheen of intellectual respectability, his administration has now proclaimed a ¡°Trump Corollary¡± to the Monroe Doctrine. Other pundits have shortened it to the Donroe Doctrine.
It is nothing of the sort ¡ª neither a corollary nor a doctrine; just a slogan expressing the caprice of a geopolitical bully who lacks a coherent strategy and projects dominance for its own sake. In fairness, Trump is not the first American president to abuse this lofty-sounding doctrinal label. But he may be the most shameless. That seems to be the verdict among historians who have studied the original doctrine.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.