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Magazine article
Why is Trump so obsessed with Venezuela? His new security strategy provides some clues
The Conversation, Vol.10 December 2025
2025
Appears in The Conversation
Abstract
Two centuries ago, US President James Monroe declared the Western Hemisphere off-limits to European powers in what would became known in history books as the “Monroe Doctrine”.
The proclamation established the foundation for a new era of US dominance and “policing” of the region.
In the decades that followed, almost a third of the nearly 400 US interventions worldwide took place in Latin America. The United States toppled governments it deemed unfavourable or used force later ruled illegal by international courts.
In 2013, then-Secretary of State John Kerry announced “the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over”. It signalled a shift towards treating the region as partners rather than a sphere of influence.
Now, however, the National Security Strategy released last week by the Trump administration has formally revived that old doctrine.
It helps explain the administration’s interventionist actions in the region over the past couple months, from its deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean to its selective use of sanctions and pardons.
Details
- Title
- Why is Trump so obsessed with Venezuela? His new security strategy provides some clues
- Authors
- Juan Zahir Naranjo Cáceres (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and SocietyShannon Brincat - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
- Publication details
- The Conversation, Vol.10 December 2025
- Publisher
- Conversation Media Group
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.64628/AA.k7xqptr4u
- ISSN
- 2201-5639
- Copyright note
- © The Conversation Media Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991191645602621
- Output Type
- Magazine article
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