Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine

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• President Trump is reviving the Monroe Doctrine, dubbed the "Donroe Doctrine," to justify asserting U.S. influence and control over resources, particularly oil, in the Western Hemisphere, shifting focus from European rivals to concerns over Chinese economic power.  Copied to clipboard!
• The original Monroe Doctrine, established in 1823, was an informal declaration by President James Monroe warning European powers against further colonization, but it evolved over time, notably becoming a justification for U.S. imperialism under President Polk and interventionism under Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary.  Copied to clipboard!
• The modern "Donroe Doctrine" signals a move away from post-1945 global cooperation toward establishing spheres of influence, where the U.S. seeks to secure critical supply chains and maintain low oil prices, which an analyst suggests benefits the President's real estate interests.  Copied to clipboard!

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Trump’s Doctrine in Practice

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(00:00:23)

• Key Takeaway: The Trump administration is actively employing a foreign policy callback to the Monroe Doctrine, sometimes termed the “Donroe Doctrine,” particularly concerning U.S. muscle-flexing regarding Venezuelan oil.
• Summary: The administration’s actions are a deliberate callback to the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine, which dictates which world powers exert influence in the Western Hemisphere. This modern iteration is being called the “Donroe Doctrine” and is being put into practice, especially concerning the President’s desire for oil control in the region.

Origins of Monroe Doctrine

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(00:02:12)

• Key Takeaway: The original Monroe Doctrine was an informal 1823 message to Congress by James Monroe, not formal law, intended to prevent European empires from extending into the Western Hemisphere.
• Summary: A doctrine sounds official, but the original Monroe Doctrine was simply a statement written by President James Monroe in an annual message to Congress in 1823. Historian Jay Sexton notes it had an anti-imperialist bent, telling European rivals to stop extending their empires in the region. It was not understood as a formal doctrine until the 1840s under President Polk.

Evolution to Trump Corollary

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(00:03:49)

• Key Takeaway: The Monroe Doctrine has historically been adapted to justify U.S. imperialism, evolving from the Roosevelt Corollary to the current “Trump Corollary” or “Donroe Doctrine,” which focuses on spheres of influence against China.
• Summary: Theodore Roosevelt invoked the doctrine in the early 1900s to justify intervention in Central America and the Caribbean via the Roosevelt Corollary. The current iteration, the Trump Corollary, reflects a move away from global cooperation toward spheres of influence, with concerns over Chinese economic power replacing 19th-century fears of European nations.

National Security Strategy Goals

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(00:05:02)

• Key Takeaway: The White House’s national security strategy explicitly calls for reasserting the Monroe Doctrine to discourage mass migration, target criminal groups, and keep critical supply chains out of hostile foreign hands.
• Summary: The White House document outlines goals for the Western Hemisphere, including discouraging mass migration and pursuing narco-terrorists. The strategy emphasizes keeping critical supply chains within the hemisphere safe from hostile foreign control, which is cited as a driver for actions against Venezuela.

Oil Prices and Foreign Policy

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(00:05:39)

• Key Takeaway: The President’s obsession with low oil prices, linked to keeping inflation and interest rates low for real estate benefits, may motivate assertive foreign policy actions like securing Venezuelan oil resources.
• Summary: Javier Bloss suggests the President links low oil prices to low inflation, which in turn keeps interest rates low, benefiting his real estate background. The security umbrella over the Americas now covers 40% of the world’s oil production, insulating the U.S. from geopolitical fallout elsewhere, such as in the Middle East.

Assertive Intervention and Responsibility

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(00:08:48)

• Key Takeaway: The “Donroe Doctrine” manifests in attempts to exert influence over assets like the Panama Canal and renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, suggesting a muscular, interventionist role for the U.S.
• Summary: Beyond Venezuela, the Trump administration has tried exerting influence over the Panama Canal and renewed talk of taking over Greenland. Historian Jay Sexton warns that deposing leaders of sovereign states creates chaos for which the U.S. will bear responsibility, echoing the “Pottery Barn Rule”—if you break it, you own it.