10.01.2026. 12:56h
In the early morning hours of January 3, US forces captured Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Both were transferred to the United States, where Maduro was charged with “narco-terrorism.”
The American operation, which is illegal under international law, is the latest in a long line of US interventions in Latin America, which Washington usually justifies on grounds 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.
What is the Monroe Doctrine?
The Monroe Doctrine dates back to 1823, when the then US President, James Monroe, asked European powers to suspend all colonial ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
The doctrine was expanded in 1904 with the so-called Roosevelt Amendment. President Theodore Roosevelt then argued that the United States had the right to intervene in Latin American countries to prevent what he called “chronic mismanagement” and “instability.”
The US National Security Strategy, published in 2025, states: “After years of neglect, the United States will reaffirm and implement the Monroe Doctrine to restore American dominance in the Western Hemisphere.”
Shortly after Maduro’s arrest, President Donald Trump invoked this doctrine, declaring: “The Monroe Doctrine is a great thing, but we have surpassed it many times over. It is now called the Monroe 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, Jacobo Arbenz.
He implemented agrarian reforms that led to the nationalization of land, including the assets of the American company United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands International).
The Eisenhower 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 United States became increasingly concerned about Cuba’s relations 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 émigrés, trained by the CIA, landed at the Bay of Pigs, about 200 kilometers from Havana. The plan to launch an uprising and overthrow Castro quickly failed. The Cuban leader sent about 20.000 troops 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 United States, which was why it initially rejected the socialist government of President Salvador Allende in Chile. Washington viewed Allende’s nationalization of key industries and close ties with Moscow as threats 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”
Following the assassination of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop during a coup d’état, President Ronald Reagan ordered the invasion of Grenada. He cited the reasons for this as protecting American citizens and maintaining regional security.
The invasion, known as “Urgent Fury”, occurred at a time when the United States was viewing Grenada’s relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba with suspicion.
The United Nations General Assembly strongly condemned the invasion, calling it 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 H.W. Bush launched a major invasion of Panama, Operation Just Cause. Some 24.000 American troops were sent into the country with the goal 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 installed Guillermo Endara in power. Unlike previous interventions during the Cold War, the operation in Panama was not directed against a communist, but against a former US ally.
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