By Anisur Rahman
If Donald Trump is not stopped immediately, nobody knows what further catastrophe awaits mankind. Chamberline was blamed for appeasing Adolf Hitler. Europe´s appeasement policy towards Trump is more pathetic. They are afraid to say the plain truth and take refuge in the jargon of cautious diplomatic vocabulary. They forget that at times of necessity, one must call a spade a spade. Venezuela may be far away from Europe. But don’t they realize that they have already been hit by him? Could anyone imagine that Europe would be dependent on the US´s CNG or LPG? European consumers are paying an extraordinarily high price because of Brussels´s Russia policy and Europe´s surrender to the US.
Donald Trump renamed the Monroe Doctrine the “Donroe Doctrine” with a more assertive, authoritarian tone. The thumping assertion of the Monroe Doctrine is: all the countries of both North and South America are backyards of the USA. Europeans have no say on these two continents. In plain words, “Americas” belongs to the USA. In return, Washington will not interfere with European colonies elsewhere. This is how the sphere of influence was defined by the then-US president, James Monroe, in 1823. In the meantime, the US has expanded the doctrine. With the emergence of a one-pole-based world order, the US began to consider the whole world within its sphere of influence. However, the rise of the People’s Republic of China has changed the equation considerably.
The US is no longer satisfied with its sphere of influence. If a country or government does not obey or serve their interests, they now carry out direct aggression. In 1990, the US invaded Panama, deposed and arrested its ruler, Manual Noriega, and brought him to the US, though he was once a puppet of Washington. No one sincerely lamented for Noriega because of his earlier role. Maduro´s case is different. He became a symbol of resistance to imperialism.
The US imperialistic intention has become nakedly exposed when Donald Trump said today or tomorrow the USA will annex Greenland by any means. The USA needs Greenland for its geographical location and USA´s strategic interests. Pure and open declaration. No covert posture. If it is accepted, Bangladesh can annex or cut off India´s “seven sister states” from the mainland, or India can annex part of Bangladesh. Trump even expressed his intention of making Canada the 51st state of the USA. President Trump has categorically said that the USA must have access to Venezuelan oil, which, in terms of quantity/amount, is the largest in the world. This single factor, greed, drove Washington to carry out the assault on Caracas. Checking the narcotic handle or establishing democracy are just excuses to cover its ill motives.
The hegemonic powers adopt different methods to install or topple governments in countries where they have special interests. For example, India installed/supported the Hasina regime in Bangladesh because it was loyal and obedient to New Delhi to the extent that it did not hesitate to sacrifice the legitimate interests of Bangladesh for preserving even the undue interests of India. In return, India supported the rigged elections of Bangladesh held in 2014, 2018, and 2024 through which the AL could come to power. Consequently, both the Awami regime and India became tremendously unpopular. And the regime was toppled by a people´s uprising/revolution.
The other method of toppling a government is by subjugation and interference from outside. A powerful hegemon can make a legitimate government nonfunctional and unpopular through strangulation. It can impose harsh economic sanctions, embargoes, trade barriers, and blockades against a country that it does not like, thereby defying international norms. They provoke and instigate public resentment. Maduro and Venezuela have become victims of the most powerful hegemon in the world. They are exerting the same pressure on Iran. How long it can withstand it is to be seen in the future.
The only positive thing is that a puppet government installed by a dominant outside power does not last for long.
An unusual winner in this power game is Russia. When the US conducts such a raid against a sovereign country and virtually declares that it will govern Caracas, Moscow can comfortably enjoy this tragedy because Ukraine and Europe failed to stand up firmly against Washington´s similar misdeeds.
This regional crisis may lead to a more severe and dangerous international crisis. The immediate fallout will be on Cuba, which heavily depends on cheaper Venezuelan oil. Trump has also said he will stop Venezuelan oil supply to even China. Besides, he wants to disrupt China´s Belt and Road connectivity route in Latin America. China´s heavy investments in this country will be at risk. Many political analysts think the USA´s “Stop China” policy might have played a role in Trump’s Venezuela strike. Beijing has strongly reacted against it. They have demanded the immediate release of Maduro. The Taiwan issue may become more volatile. Further tensions between the two superpowers are not good news for the world. Nobody knows where it leads to. Some prominent Western political observers and experts on strategic affairs apprehend that a critical mistake or miscalculation can endanger the whole of mankind.
The US´s flagrant violation of international law is worse than Russia´s annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine. One must remember that Crimea was part of the Russian Soviet Federation from 1783 to 1954. Russia built it. In February 1954, the Russian Federation transferred it to the Ukrainian Federation when both Russia and Ukraine were part of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Had the Western alliance not backed down from the Minsk agreement on autonomy of the Donbas region, the present Ukraine crisis could have been avoided. And the international community, including the US, recognized Taiwan as part of the PRC when it was admitted to the UN, and Taiwan was expelled from the world body. Beijing´s One China policy has been accepted by almost all. The dispute is how to incorporate Taiwan into the PRC. Hence, one must not equate the USA`s aggression in Venezuela with China´s claim on Taiwan.
The US has once again undermined the UN charter by striking against an independent and sovereign country. A multipolar-based international community might not tolerate it indefinitely.
Anisur Rahman (1947) is basically a journalist with a primary interest in international affairs. His journalistic career began more than five decades ago, in 1969, when he joined the newly established daily newspaper The Daily Purbodesh as its Sub-Editor.
8 January 2026
Source: countercurrents.org