After Venezuela, what's on Trump administration's agenda? Details on US National Security Strategy

‘The United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere’. This is a line from the US National Security Strategy document, so nobody can confidently state there was no warning. And in the wee hours, the US forces, on orders of President Trump, moved into Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. His authoritarian regime has been highlighted time and again; with that, even fraudulent elections have been a point of agitation among the masses.

Many protesters have also been jailed in the country for voicing their opinion against Maduro’s authoritarian rule. Amid the collapsing economy, majority in the country wanted Maduro out of power. But Donald Trump has never suggested that international law or multilateral norms hold any relevance for him. This military action was not about restoring democracy. In a rambling press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump openly declared that the United States would “run the country,” effectively announcing an occupation with no legal basis. He repeatedly referenced Venezuela’s oil reserves, saying American companies would now be “very much involved.”

The document highlights, “Western Hemisphere is home to many strategic resources that America should partner with regional allies to develop, to make neighbouring countries as well as our own more prosperous. The National Security Council will immediately begin a robust interagency process to task agencies, supported by our Intelligence Community’s analytical arm, to identify strategic points and resources in the Western Hemisphere with a view to their protection and joint development with regional partners.”