Syllabus: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.
Context and Emerging Doctrine
- The article describes a U.S. intervention in Venezuela and abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.
- On January 15, opposition leader María Corina Machado met President Trump in Washington.
- Simultaneously, CIA Director John Ratcliffe engaged Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas for negotiations.
- This dual engagement reflects the so-called “Donroe Doctrine”, extending the Monroe Doctrine.
- The doctrine prioritises transactional control and resource access over ideological regime transformation.
Regime Management Strategy
- The Trump administration prefers “regime management” instead of “regime change” in Venezuela.
- Policymakers feared dismantling institutions could replicate Iraq’s administrative and military collapse.
- Ms. Rodríguez is viewed as capable of maintaining balance with armed forces and party ideologues.
- The opposition lacks institutional continuity and effective leverage over governance structures.
Sanctions and Economic Constraints
- Venezuela has faced U.S. oil sector sanctions since the late 2010s, causing hyperinflation.
- Crude exports were redirected to China and others through a “shadow fleet” of tankers.
- A naval blockade seized ships and denied Chinese tankers access to Venezuelan waters.
- Neither China nor Russia confronted Washington in the U.S.-declared strategic sphere.
Pragmatic Negotiations and Oil Leverage
- Ms. Rodríguez adopted pragmatism to ease sanctions and preserve economic survival.
- Oil production recovered from below 400,000 barrels to 900,000 barrels daily.
- The 2020 Anti-Blockade Law enabled greater private investment and foreign ownership.
- Under Biden, Chevron exported crude under limited licences depositing proceeds in private banks.
- The Trump administration rerouted revenues through Qatar accounts requiring U.S. approval.
- Vitol and Trafigura reportedly secured licences for sales worth $500 million.
Broader Implications
- Venezuelan crude is heavy oil, costly to refine and extract, limiting investor interest.
- The episode highlights constraints of the multipolar order and Global South coordination.
Monroe Doctrine
- Overview
- Nature: U.S. foreign policy principle asserting U.S. primacy in the Western Hemisphere
- Purpose: Oppose European colonisation and intervention in the Americas
- Established In
- Date: 2 December 1823
- By: James Monroe, 5th President of the United States
- Occasion: State of the Union Address to U.S. Congress
- Core Principles
- No New Colonisation: European powers barred from establishing new colonies in the Americas
- Non-Interference Warning: European intervention viewed as hostile to U.S. security
- Reciprocal Restraint: U.S. will not вмеш into existing European colonies or European affairs
- Separate Spheres: Political systems of Europe and the Americas remain distinct