Over the last few weeks, you have probably heard about the crisis in Venezuela. In case you haven’t, last year saw the Venezuela presidential election, which saw incumbent socialist Nicolas Maduro win, despite his unpopular economic policies and allegations of electoral fraud. In response, the Head of the National Assembly and leader of the Popular Will party, Juan Guaidó, declared himself the President of Venezuela. The United States government has also recognized Guaidó as the legitimate President of Venezuela.
However, this move has been very controversial, both in the United States and Venezuela. Maduro accused the United States of organizing a coup against him. In addition, some American outlets have argued that Trump’s move to unseat Maduro as part of the United States ‘ long history of intervention in Latin America, especially to exploit Venezuela’s oil reserves – the largest in the world. In fact, Trump’s National Security Advisor has used this justification. But what do I think of this?
I believe that the United States should not get involved in Venezuela. Not only would such actions make lives even worse for Venezuelans, but it would also reinforce one of the United States’ most deplorable foreign policy doctrines: the Monroe Doctrine.
I understand that some of you might not know what the Monroe Doctrine is. The Monroe Doctrine was drafted in 1823 by the Administration of James Monroe, and it asserted that the Americas (North, Central, and South) were part of the United States’ sphere of influence. It also declared that the United States reserved the right to get involved in the affairs of Latin America if it served (U.S.) American interests. In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt added a corollary to this Doctrine, stating that the United States would consider unilateral action in Latin America. This has been a major tenet in U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, which has led to a long history of U.S.-backed coups d’etat and support for right-wing dictatorships in the region. This, naturally, is highly unpopular in much of Latin America.
In conclusion, the United States should not use an almost 200-year old foreign policy to justify getting involved in a 21st century conflict. The United States should instead work with the neighboring countries to ensure a positive future for Venezuela.
The Centrist and Independent Voice
TheCentristVoice 