What is the Monroe Doctrine that Trump invoked over Venezuela?

US President Donald Trump has sought to justify Washington's military action in Venezuela and its broader assertion of influence in Latin America by referring to the Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy principle dating back more than two centuries.

According to an Al Jazeera report, Trump described the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a modern-day extension of the doctrine, first articulated in 1823 under the administration of former US president James Monroe.

Speaking on Saturday, Trump said the raid represented an updated application of the Monroe Doctrine, declaring that the United States would "run the country" until "a safe, proper and judicious transition" could be carried out.

"The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe document," Trump said, adding the first letter of his surname to the concept.

"American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again," he added.

Origins of the Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine emerged in the early 19th century as a cornerstone of US foreign policy. It effectively proposed that the world be divided into distinct spheres of influence, each overseen by major powers.

Political cartoon from the "New York Herald," c. 1904, showing Europeans observing American naval might. Photo: Collected

James Monroe first outlined the principle on 2 December 1823 during his seventh annual State of the Union address to the US Congress, although it was only later named after him. 

In the speech, Monroe warned European nations against interfering in the political affairs of the Americas, stating that such actions would be regarded as hostile acts against the United States.

He argued that the Western Hemisphere and Europe should remain separate in their political affairs and should not attempt to influence one another.

Position on colonisation

Under the doctrine, the US pledged that it would not interfere in existing European colonies in the Americas, nor involve itself in the internal affairs of European states. In return, Monroe declared that the American continents were no longer open to future colonisation by European powers.

While the doctrine largely sought to preserve the status quo in the Americas, it also marked a clear call for European disengagement from the region.

The Roosevelt Corollary

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt expanded the doctrine through what became known as the Roosevelt Corollary. This addition asserted the US right to intervene in Latin American countries to prevent European involvement, particularly in cases of debt disputes or political instability.

The corollary was formulated in the wake of the Venezuelan crisis of 1902–03, when Caracas refused to repay foreign debts, prompting threats of intervention by European creditors. 

Roosevelt argued that the United States had both the right and the responsibility to step in to maintain order and protect its interests in the Western Hemisphere.

Photo: Collected

Use in modern US policy

In the decades that followed, successive US administrations used the expanded Monroe Doctrine to justify interventions in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nicaragua.

During the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan adopted a particularly hardline stance towards Latin America, a policy critics described as imperialist. His administration backed the right-wing Contras against Nicaragua's leftist Sandinista government, a strategy that later culminated in the Iran-Contra arms-trafficking scandal.

Reagan also supported right-wing governments in El Salvador and Guatemala, both of which were accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Cuba has faced sustained political, military, and economic pressure from the US since Fidel Castro's revolution, including long-standing sanctions that remain in place.

There have also been reports over the years of US involvement in efforts to destabilise governments in Venezuela, including alleged attempts to undermine former president Hugo Chávez prior to his death in 2013.

Trump's recent remarks suggest that the doctrine, despite its 19th-century origins, continues to influence US rhetoric and policy towards Latin America today.