In the early morning hours of January 3rd, US forces captured the embattled president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Both were transferred to United States, where Maduro was accused of "narco-terrorism".
The US operation, which is illegal under international law, is the latest in a long line of US interventions in Latin America. Washington usually justifies them with reasons of regional security.
Many of these interventions rely on the Monroe Doctrine - a foreign policy principle that has strongly influenced American foreign policy for two centuries, he writes. DW.
What is the Monroe Doctrine?
The Monroe Doctrine dates back to 1823, when the then US president, James Monroe, asked the European powers to suspend all colonial ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
The doctrine was expanded in 1904 by the so-called Roosevelt's addition. President Theodore Roosevelt then argued that the US had the right to intervene in Latin American countries to prevent what he called "chronic mismanagement" and "instability".
The US National Security Strategy, released in 2025, states: "After years of neglect, the United States will reaffirm and implement the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere."
Shortly after Maduro's arrest, President Donald tramp referred to this doctrine and declared: "The Monroe Doctrine is a great thing, but we have surpassed it many times over. It is now called the Donroe Doctrine."
Guatemala 1954: CIA supports coup
In one of the first interventions of the Cold War, the United States supported the overthrow of the democratically elected president of Guatemala, Jacob Arbenz.
He implemented agrarian reforms that led to the nationalization of land, including the assets of the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands International).
President Eisenhower's administration considered Arbenz's government a communist threat. Then US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles accused Arbenz of establishing a "communist reign of terror".
CIA agents supported a group of Guatemalan emigrants and brought Carlos Castillo Armas to power. He quickly reversed the reforms.
Cuba 1961: Bay of Pigs Invasion
After Fidel Castro's communist revolution in 1959, the US became increasingly concerned about Cuba's relationship with the Soviet Union. President Dwight Eisenhower developed a plan to overthrow Castro, which was implemented in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.
About 1.400 Cuban emigrants, trained by the CIA, landed in the Bay of Pigs, about 200 kilometers from Havana. The plan to start an uprising and overthrow Castro quickly failed.
The Cuban leader sent about 20.000 soldiers ashore and forced the attackers to surrender. The failure was a major embarrassment for the US and further exacerbated Cold War tensions.
Chile 1973: Covert Operations and Military Coup
Communist Cuba and Soviet influence in the Western Hemisphere continued to bother the US, which led it to reject President Salvador Allende's socialist government in Chile from the start. Washington saw Allende's nationalization of key industries and close ties with Moscow as a threat to American interests.
Although the US did not directly carry out the coup, it sought to destabilize Chile through diplomatic pressure, financial restrictions, support for opposition groups, and propaganda against Allende.
In September 1973, the Chilean military, led by General Augusto Pinochet, overthrew Allende. After Allende committed suicide, Pinochet took power.
The right-wing dictator ruled Chile for 17 years, ending a 46-year tradition of democratic rule. During his regime, numerous opposition figures disappeared and torture was commonplace in prisons.
Grenada 1983: Operation Urgent Fury
After the assassination of Grenada Prime Minister Maurice Bishop during an internal coup, President Ronald Reagan ordered the invasion of Grenada. He cited the protection of American citizens and the preservation of regional security as the reason.
The invasion, known as Urgent Fury, came at a time when the United States viewed Grenada's relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba with suspicion.
The General Assembly of the United Nations strongly condemned the invasion, evaluating it as a "flagrant violation of international law and the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of this state."
Panama 1989: Operation Just Cause
In December 1989, President George W. Bush launched a major invasion of Panama as part of Operation Just Cause. About 24.000 American soldiers were sent to the country with the aim of overthrowing General Manuel Noriega.
Noriega, a former US ally, was indicted in the United States for drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering, and was imprisoned.
After the invasion, the US put Guillermo Endara in power. Unlike earlier interventions during the Cold War, the operation in Panama was not directed against the Communists, but against a former American ally.
Source: DW
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