Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine

The Trump administration is reviving and reinterpreting the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine to assert American dominance over the Western Hemisphere, a shift dubbed the "Don Roe Doctrine." This policy signals a move away from post-1945 global cooperation toward a "spheres of influence" model designed to counter Chinese economic expansion in Latin America. Central to this strategy is the pursuit of energy security and low domestic interest rates; by securing regional oil reserves—including through military intervention in Venezuela—the administration aims to stabilize global supply and insulate the U.S. economy from Middle Eastern volatility. Historian Jay Sexton and Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas note that while the White House officially cites anti-narcotics and migration control as primary motivators, the aggressive pursuit of critical resources and territorial influence, including renewed interest in Greenland, marks a return to muscular 19th-century imperialism. This approach leaves the U.S. responsible for the long-term stability of the sovereign states it disrupts.