By Ginika Igboke
In a move that echoes some of the most consequential chapters in American foreign policy, President Donald Trump has articulated what amounts to a new corollary to the Monroe Doctrine—one that blends historical precedent with modern geopolitical realities.
Speaking just hours after U.S. military forces struck targets in Venezuela’s capital and captured socialist leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, Trump explicitly invoked the Monroe Doctrine, a cornerstone of U.S. strategy for more than two centuries. He argued that Venezuela had become a staging ground for hostile foreign powers operating within the Western Hemisphere.
“Venezuela was increasingly hosting foreign adversaries in our region and acquiring menacing offensive weapons that could threaten U.S. interests and lives,” Trump said, adding that these actions were potentially coordinated with criminal cartels operating along the U.S. southern border. According to Trump, such developments constituted a direct violation of long-standing American foreign policy principles.
The Monroe Doctrine Revisited
The Monroe Doctrine was first articulated by President James Monroe during his annual address to Congress on Dec. 2, 1823. At the time, much of Latin America had recently broken free from European colonial rule, yet imperial powers such as Great Britain, France, and Spain continued to seek political influence and economic advantage in the region.
Monroe made clear that while the United States would not interfere in European affairs, it would view any attempt by European powers to extend their influence into the Western Hemisphere as a threat to American peace and security. “It is only when our rights are invaded or seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our defense,” Monroe told Congress.
Trump’s assertion that Venezuela had become a platform for foreign adversaries aligns with the spirit of Monroe’s warning. However, the original doctrine was largely passive in nature. A closer historical parallel to Trump’s actions can be found in the Roosevelt Corollary, which expanded the doctrine into a more interventionist framework.
Theodore Roosevelt and the Precedent for Intervention
Shortly before assuming the presidency following the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt famously endorsed the idea of “speaking softly and carrying a big stick.” While often reduced to a slogan, Roosevelt’s foreign policy was shaped by decisive action, particularly in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War, which dismantled much of Spain’s empire in the Western Hemisphere.
Roosevelt inherited several unresolved international challenges, including instability in Latin America. One of the most significant was the Venezuelan Crisis of 1902–1903, when Venezuela defaulted on European loans, prompting British and German naval blockades. Although Roosevelt ultimately deferred arbitration to The Hague, the crisis reinforced his belief that chronic instability in the region could invite dangerous foreign intervention.
Cuba, Venezuela, and the “Right to Intervene”
Cuba posed another challenge. Although liberated from Spanish rule with U.S. assistance, the island effectively became an American protectorate. The Teller Amendment to the declaration of war against Spain pledged that the United States would not permanently control Cuba, committing instead to temporary “pacification.”
Trump’s statement that the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” could be achieved closely mirrors this earlier language. After the Spanish–American War, U.S. involvement in Cuba was formalized through provisions allowing American intervention to preserve independence and protect life, property, and liberty.
In his 1904 address to Congress, Roosevelt expanded this principle across the region, asserting that “chronic wrongdoing” or governmental impotence in the Western Hemisphere could compel the United States to exercise what he termed an “international police power.” This philosophy guided repeated U.S. interventions in Latin America during the early 20th century.
From the Good Neighbor Policy to the Trump Corollary
U.S. interventionism waned under later presidents, culminating in the Good Neighbor Policy of Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, global conflicts such as the Cold War and the War on Terror revived interventionist tendencies well beyond the Western Hemisphere.
Despite these shifts, the Monroe Doctrine has remained a foundational reference point, offering presidents and Congress a framework for assessing regional threats. Trump’s actions in Venezuela, supporters argue, reflect this tradition rather than a departure from it.
Trump has described Maduro’s government as waging “a ceaseless campaign of violence, terror, and subversion” that threatened not only the United States but regional stability as a whole. He accused Maduro of engaging in “deadly narco-terrorism” and said U.S. action was necessary to neutralize those threats.
While Trump acknowledged that his administration had gone beyond the original Monroe Doctrine—jokingly dubbing the new approach the “Donroe Document”—the policy more closely resembles an updated version of the Roosevelt Corollary, adapted for the 21st century.
“Monsters to Destroy” and Modern Realities
Critics of U.S. intervention often cite John Quincy Adams’s famous warning that America “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.” Yet Trump’s supporters argue that Venezuela was not a distant problem but an immediate and growing threat operating close to home.
Adams also warned that foreign entanglements could gradually shift America’s principles “from liberty to force.” That caution remains relevant as the United States contemplates a sustained presence in Venezuela, including plans to stabilize the country, reinvest in its oil sector, and reassert regional influence.
Trump has made clear that disengagement is not part of the immediate plan. “Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,” he said.
Whether the Trump Corollary ultimately preserves the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine—defending peace and security without undermining liberty—remains an open question. What is clear is that Trump’s Venezuela decision marks a significant evolution in American foreign policy, one with consequences that will unfold for years to come.
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