US signals expansion of influence in Western Hemisphere
US forces conducted an incursion into Venezuela on Saturday, seizing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were indicted by the Department of Justice on drug-trafficking charges and pleaded not guilty when they appeared in a New York court on Monday. The Venezuelan government denounced the operation as an “imperialist attack.”
President Donald Trump framed the intervention as a revival and expansion of the Monroe Doctrine, a historical policy aimed at limiting foreign influence in the Americas. The State Department stated on X: “This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the message in an interview, emphasizing that the US will prevent adversaries from establishing a foothold in the region. “This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live, and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operations for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States,” he said.
Trump also indicated that American firms will gain access to Venezuela’s oil sector, nationalized under Hugo Chavez, and suggested that the US intends to manage the country until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” can occur, without providing additional details.
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