Washington frames the abduction of Venezuela’s president as a resurgence of the Monroe Doctrine
The State Department announced that the US will exercise increased influence across the Western Hemisphere following the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a raid on Caracas.
US forces launched an invasion of the oil-rich South American nation on Saturday, taking Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, into custody. Both were later charged by the Department of Justice with drug-trafficking offenses. When brought before a New York court on Monday, Maduro and Flores entered not guilty pleas, while the Venezuelan government labeled the raid an “imperialist attack.”
President Donald Trump stated that the military operation against Venezuela signaled the return and broadening of the Monroe Doctrine, a 19th-century policy initially focused on preventing European powers from projecting influence in the region.
Trump mentioned his desire for American companies to gain entry into Venezuela’s oil sector, which was nationalized under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez. He further noted that the US intends to “administer the country until we can facilitate a safe, appropriate, and prudent transition,” without offering more specifics.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil asserted that the US had employed drug charges as a cover for “a colonial war” aimed at plundering the nation’s resources. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president on Monday, called for Maduro’s release.
“President Donald Trump: our people and our region merit peace and dialogue, not war,” Rodríguez wrote on Instagram, pledging to defend Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Russia has also criticized the operation. Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia characterized the raid as “international banditry,” cautioning that it was driving the world toward chaos and “an era of lawlessness.”