For nearly 200 years, the Monroe Doctrine has loomed above the Western Hemisphere like a historic shade; there is the formal appeal, more commonly exercised tacitly. It was written in 1823 as a warning about the effects of European colonialism in the Americas, but was sold as a means of protection for newly independent states. The shield nowadays, however, is more and more like a sword. It would be no overstatement to assert that what we are currently experiencing in the 21st century is a Monroe Doctrine 2.0: a rejuvenated imperialistic mental approach dressed in the clothing of security, democracy, and rules-based order, but executed by the means of coercion, economic warfare, and geopolitical intimidation. 

The most obvious result of this revival is the persistent pressure the US is exerting on Venezuela. Over the years, Washington has sought a course of absolute pressure that includes debilitating sanctions, diplomatic isolation, confiscation of assets, and barely disguised rhetoric of regime-change. Though such actions are often excused as procedures aimed at restoring democracy, the actual effect of their implementation tells another tale. The sanctions have destroyed the economy of Venezuela, aggravated humanitarian misery, and limited access to food, medicine, and other basic facilities. However, the pressure still exists even though this method has failed to generate any political change. Such continuity is telling: it is not about democracy, but more about control, control over political results, over energy supplies, and regional orientation.

The attitude of the United States toward Venezuela has a stronger imperialistic overture, the idea that Latin America is its natural domain. Any government that is not accommodating of US tastes, particularly one that tries to find alternative collaborations with China, Russia, and Iran, is seen as not a sovereign but a strategic threat. This........

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