Success increases the appetite for more. Encouraged by the lightning operation of the US military in Venezuela, President Donald Trump is thinking about further actions, as he said on Sunday: "Colombia is also very sick, it is run by a sick man who is happy to produce cocaine and sell it to the United States. He will not do it much longer".
In response to a reporter's question - whether this means another military action, Trump said: "Sounds good". Probably, "something will have to be done" regarding Mexico, although he appreciated the country's president. Since Mexico is under the control of drug cartels.
It also reached Greenland. There are a lot of Russian and Chinese ships there - and Greenland is needed if only for national security, since the Danes cannot cope with this threat, the American president said. "Did you know that Denmark has recently increased security in Greenland? They have included another dog sled. That's right! They think it's a great solution."
"We will strengthen and implement the Monroe Doctrine"
Since Venezuela, Trump and members of his government have been openly saying how America intends to act in its part of the world. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized: "This is the Western Hemisphere, we live here, and we will not allow it to become a base of operations for adversaries, competitors, and enemies of the United States".
This means: the United States no longer allows other sovereign states in the region to decide for themselves which countries and which companies to maintain relations and do business with. This is written into the new security strategy. On page 15, the following can be read: "After years of neglect, the United States will strengthen and implement the Monroe Doctrine to restore American dominance in the Western Hemisphere".
The doctrine was formulated more than 200 years ago by President James Monroe, ARD recalls. With it, he banned any intervention by European powers in Latin America. As an allusion to Trump's name, the media is already writing about the Donro Doctrine in relation to the new US foreign policy, and Trump himself is also already using this term.
Hegseth: "That's pretty smart"
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday also referred to the Monroe Doctrine in front of a group of recruits: "There were Americans who implemented the Monroe Doctrine as early as 1823. Now the year is 2026 and President Trump is restoring dominance and intimidation in our hemisphere. They will become part of that legacy. That's pretty smart." American politicians have not used the word "domination" as often as they have in recent days, the German public media outlet notes.
At the very end of the chapter on the Western Hemisphere in the National Security Strategy, the following sentence is included: "We must make every effort to drive out foreign companies that carry out infrastructure projects in the region." It sounds as if, for example, European construction companies that are engaged in Latin America will face difficulties from the Trump administration.
Author: Carsten Künthoff (ARD)