The US approach toward dealing with the current political developments in Venezuela represents an attempt to revive the Monroe Doctrine, a policy penned in the 1820s that aimed to secure a completely democratic Western hemisphere through influence over Latin America
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th April, 2019) The US approach toward dealing with the current political developments in Venezuela represents an attempt to revive the Monroe Doctrine, a policy penned in the 1820s that aimed to secure a completely democratic Western hemisphere through influence over Latin America, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.
"In the Western hemisphere, the United States is seeking to revive the Monroe Doctrine, whose aim is to limit the sovereignty of Latin American states by pressuring [the states] that pursue policies not aligned with [those policies of] the United States," Shoigu said at the Moscow Conference on International Security.
According to Shoigu, the US policies toward Venezuela are a blatant example of such a foreign policy approach, with the Venezuelan state being targeted by "unprecedented" external pressure from Washington.
In January, US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president in a bid to dispute the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro's re-election in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down.
Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
