Venezuela Signals Trump’s New Vision for the Western Hemisphere

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Nicolás Maduro declares his innocence in his first appearance in front of a US court. Plus the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela herald a new geopolitical strategy.

Geoff Ramsey (0:29)

I think we can safely say that the era of a more muscular approach to foreign policy in Latin America where the US is willing to exert not just economic or diplomatic pressure but even military pressure to advance its interests is here to stay, at least for now.

Alex Ossola (0:44)

And why automakers are expecting this year to be a tough one. It's Monday, January 5th. I'm Alex Ossola for The Wall Street Journal. This is the PM Edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today. ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro made his first appearance in front of a US federal court today, where he pleaded not guilty to narcotrafficking charges. Maduro said he was still the president of his country and that he was a prisoner of war who had been kidnapped. The hearing was the start of a highly unusual legal battle for a foreign leader in a US court, and the prosecution and defense could spend years fighting over the legality of Maduro's arrest and his charges before he even goes to trial. Separately, in an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council today, Venezuela asked the UN to condemn what it called the kidnapping of its president and said its institutions are functioning normally. Russia and China criticized the US actions and called for Maduro's release. The US said Maduro's removal was a legitimate law enforcement operation.

There's been a shift in geopolitical strategy under President Trump, focusing on US leadership in the Western Hemisphere. The president calls it the Donroe Doctrine.

Donald Trump (2:08)

The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe Doctrine.

Alex Ossola (2:19)

And after this weekend's action in Venezuela, the president is now threatening other countries. Yesterday, he said that a US operation in Colombia to stop drug flows, quote, sounds good to me. He also predicted that Cuba's government would collapse.

Donald Trump (2:32)

Cuba looks like it's ready to fall. I don't know if they can hold out. But Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They're not getting any of it.

Alex Ossola (2:44)

And said the US needs to take control of Greenland for national security reasons, leading to sharp criticism from Denmark, which said the US has no right to annex the island, which is a part of the kingdom. For more on what Trump intends in the region, I'm joined now by Geoff Ramsey, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and an expert on Latin America. Geoff, the Donroe Doctrine is a reference to the Monroe Doctrine, which goes back to the 19th century. Of course, President James Monroe. Here's how President Trump described it over the weekend.

Donald Trump (3:13)

The future will be determined by the ability to protect commerce and territory and resources that are core to national security.

Alex Ossola (3:23)

Geoff, how has President Trump revived this doctrine and what's different about it today?

Geoff Ramsey (3:28)

This is really the biggest update to the Monroe Doctrine that we've seen in years. This is ultimately about the ability of the United States to project its influence more aggressively across the entire Western Hemisphere. This fits with what we know about this administration's approach to foreign policy. A few weeks ago, they published the National Security Strategy that really outlines an aggressive stance towards defending US interests in the Western Hemisphere, particularly as it relates to pushing back against the rising influence of Russia, China, Iran, and other geopolitical rivals, Washington. We've already seen how the administration is essentially putting other governments in the hemisphere on watch. The president has left the door open to potential interventions in Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and others. Now, it's a little bit difficult to tell how much of that can be taken at face value, but I think we can safely say that this is an administration that's willing to go farther than any other recent administration in history to secure US interests in the Americas.

Alex Ossola (4:33)

Back to the Monroe Doctrine for a second. Under other presidents, it led to a bunch of things happening to expand US territory, like annexing Hawaii, seizing Puerto Rico and the Philippines and Guam from Spain. Can we expect those kinds of actions to potentially come under President Trump now?