Neo-Monroe Doctrine Resurgence Risks Recolonization Amid Latin America's Decolonial Struggles
Original framing: “Paraguay President: Trump's Approach Aids Latin America” — Bloomberg
The Monroe Doctrine has historically justified U.S. interventions, from the 1898 Spanish-American War to the 1980s Contra wars. Its revival today mirrors Cold War-era strategies of containing leftist movements, now repackaged as 'countering China.' The doctrine's racialized and classist underpinnings are ignored in mainstream discourse, which frames it as a benign diplomatic tool.
The Monroe Doctrine's revival under Trump is not a diplomatic gift to Latin America but a continuation of U.S. imperialism, as seen in its historical role in coups and economic domination.
While Paraguayan President Peña frames it as beneficial, grassroots movements—from Bolivia's coca growers to Brazil's landless workers—see it as a threat to sovereignty. The doctrine's racialized and classist logic is obscured in mainstream media, which prioritizes elite voices over Indigenous and peasant resistance. Decolonial alternatives, such as regional solidarity blocs and post-extractivist economies, offer pathways to dismantle this system, but they require confronting the doctrine's structural violence and centering marginalized perspectives.