The recent US military operation codenamed “Absolute Resolve” sparked a massive uproar in the international community. It was the swift operation that captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in his residence on the 3rd of January, 2026. Maduro, alongside his wife, was immediately taken aboard USS Iwo Jima and then flown to New York to stand trial and face charges of ‘narco-terrorism,’ among many other charges.
This event emphasized US commitment to securing its sphere of influence from external presence that threatens its hegemony. The capture of Maduro serves as a violent reminder of the Monroe Doctrine, the US grand strategy to keep foreign interference out of the Western Hemisphere. Through “Absolute Resolve,” the US is sending a clear message: outside influence in the Western Hemisphere is no longer tolerable.
The Development of the Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was first articulated by President James Monroe’s 1823 annual address to Congress. Many former Spanish colonies in the Americas had gained or were close to independence, and so Monroe voiced for a separation of the Old World and the New World’s sphere of influence. The doctrine was a result of a growing concern of two things: the Congress of Vienna’s attempt to restore Spain’s former colonies and Russia’s territorial ambitions in the Northwest Coast of North America. However, the US lacked a strong army and navy to enforce the doctrine, and so it was ignored several times over the course of the 19th century.
It wasn’t until the early 20th century, through the Roosevelt Corollary, that the United States was finally able to enforce the Monroe Doctrine. Although it was first created to keep European powers out of the Western Hemisphere, Theodore Roosevelt extended its meaning to justify sending the US military to other nations in the Western Hemisphere. As a result, the US Marines were sent into Santo Domingo in 1904, Nicaragua in 1911, and Haiti in 1915. The Roosevelt Corollary marked a major and violent shift in the enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine, transforming a defensive stance into an offensive “police action.”
This momentum would carry on into the Cold War, where the Monroe Doctrine would meet its biggest challenger yet in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. After receiving reports of Soviet missile sites in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval “quarantine” of the island nation, stopping any Soviet shipments into Cuba. Throughout the Cold War, the Monroe Doctrine became the basis for US involvement in regime changes across Latin America to prevent the spread of Soviet-backed communism, such as the infamous Operation Condor.
Entering the 21st century, the Monroe Doctrine would fade away as the rise of multipolarism emerges. Former US Secretary of State John Kerry even went as far as saying, “The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over.” However, under the Trump administration, the Monroe Doctrine would evolve into its most radical mutation yet.
The New Mutation of the Monroe Doctrine
The capture of Nicolás Maduro is the culmination of US concern over external incursions in Venezuela. In 2001, Venezuela was the first Hispanic country to sign a ‘strategic development partnership’ with China. The relations were built upon a simple rationale. Venezuela needed cash. China needed oil to fuel its booming economy.
The relations between the two countries grew stronger during Hugo Chavez’s presidency. Between 2007 and 2013, China lent $40 billion to Venezuela, primarily to develop Venezuela’s oil industry and to secure a stable energy lifeline for Beijing. The close relationship continued after Chavez’s death in 2013. Beijing’s investment served as an economic lifeline for Venezuela, which was sanctioned by the US and its allies. Last year, around 80% of Venezuelan oil went to China.
Similarly, Venezuela possesses a strong relationship with another of the US’s archrivals, Russia. While the scale of Russian presence in Venezuela might not be as massive as that of China, Russia has been consistent in its support for the Maduro government. Russia had recognized Maduro in the contested 2018 and 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections. In November last year, Russia denounced US “excessive military force” in the Caribbean Sea.
The presence of two major powers in the US backyard is clearly unacceptable. For Washington, Venezuela is not merely a rogue state but a forward operating base for its rival powers. The arrest of Maduro, therefore, is not a pursuit of justice but an attempt to separate the New World from the Old World once more. This act also serves as a deterrence for other “rogue” Latin American countries, namely Cuba and Nicaragua, signalling US willingness to directly intervene once they do not align with US interests.
The Dual Front of the New Monroe Doctrine
However, the mutation of the 2026 Monroe Doctrine does not stop in the tropical borders of the Caribbean. Washington is planning to expand its influence to the freezing Arctic, especially Greenland. A day after its raid on Venezuela, Trump immediately reiterated its intent to acquire Greenland once more, including through military means.
Greenland contains a large amount of natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium, and iron. Scientists also think that it contains oil and gas reserves as well. These resources would become much more accessible due to the melting ice sheet that covers most of the island.
Trump, however, stated that the US needs Greenland “for national security, not minerals.” Furthermore, he stated that Greenland is crawling with Russian and Chinese ships. His statement is not entirely wrong. Control over Greenland would give the United States the upper hand over Arctic defense. The island and its 44,000 km of coastline are “a security black hole” for the United States. It is simply difficult to monitor the gigantic area. There have been many reports of foreign vessel sightings in the region, including a Russian submarine.
Control over Greenland would enable the US to also control the strategic GIUK Gap (Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap). The goal over the GIUK Gap would be to close it once any conflict erupts, disabling any adversaries from exiting the Norwegian Sea and approaching the US’ Eastern Seaboard. During the Cold War, the closing of this gap was to prevent any Soviet SSBNs (ballistic missile submarines) from sailing within firing range of Washington, DC, and New York. In the 21st century, Russia has increased its naval presence there and is also inviting cooperation with China, which wants a Polar Silk Road.
With this context in hand, it is no longer a question of why the US wanted Greenland so badly, but of how far the US was willing to go to secure it. It is a reality that everyone should accept: Greenland has been included in the 2026 Monroe Doctrine umbrella. With the raid on Maduro still fresh in memory, only time will tell which approach the United States will take to bring Greenland into its orbit.
In Conclusion
The US showed its willingness to unilaterally uphold its hegemony in the Western Hemisphere with the capture of Maduro. It marked the complete reversal of multipolarism in the Western Hemisphere as the US is pursuing securing its backyard once more. This event serves as a bitter reminder that the Monroe Doctrine lives on well into the 21st century, having mutated from the 19th-century defensive doctrine into a mandate for intervention. The warning of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres rings an alarming signal that a “dangerous precedent” has been set for the international order.
