US President Donald Trump is feeling emboldened. Not one US soldier was killed in the 3 January US special forces operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Intoxicated by the success, Trump has followed up by warning other Western Hemisphere countries, such as Colombia, Cuba and Mexico: you could be next. Trump will feel attacks on all would be justifiable under his new corollary to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823. This new ‘Donroe Doctrine’ effectively asserts the right of the US to intervene at will in the Western Hemisphere to protect its national interests. Regional and world leaders would be remiss if they didn’t consider the threat real. But its unclear what the purpose of new attacks on any of these very different countries would achieve.
What would Trump’s threatened strikes on Colombia, Mexico or Cuba achieve? (Christopher Sabatini – Chatham House)
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