The much-talked-about Monroe Doctrine these days - "America for the Americans" - should be understood in its historical context - it was a way of telling European colonial powers that they had no business in the Americas. It was at this time (1823) that the Spanish colonies in South America were gaining independence, and the famous dictum of President James Monroe was a clear message to the former colonialists, the European empires. In the 1960s, during the heyday of the left in Latin America, a “new” version emerged, “America for North Americans”. The new “colonial” power was no longer from Europe. This colonialism was much more cynical, and equally destructive for Latin American societies. Everything was done under the guise of “defending” against communism. A reflection of all this, somewhat parodic today, can be found in Trump's relationship not only with Venezuela, but also with other countries in South and Central America, but also with North American neighbors - Canada and Greenland... The current American president believes that he is playing a game of "risk", and his Russian counterpart fits into such an experience quite well.
In fact, in the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine, the slogan would be - "Greenland to the Greenlanders".
Kidnapping of the Venezuelan President Madura points to a new era of global politics.
Maduro is a shallow demagogue and certainly a bad president, lacking the charisma and imagination of his predecessor and political father, but the way he ended his political career is disturbing on several levels.
Global politics increasingly resembles a mockery or at least a parody. My childhood was full of comics and movies with villains who want to conquer/destroy the world, and who, in their irrationality and unscrupulousness, are incredibly similar to today's big players, like Trump and Putin, even those "smaller" players - Vučić, Madura, OrbanIn the Bond films when he played the secret agent 007 Roger Moore - and who are certainly the weakest part of the mega series creatively, there has always been, behind everything, behind the conspiracies and deceptions, some such character. With one difference, not an insignificant one. Today, it all happens in front of all of us, without any hesitation or shame. And as reality, not a movie.
What is on the scene is, in fact, the kidnapping of the world - and no one seems to have an idea how to stop this trend.
Those who hated the political establishment of postmodern capitalism chose poor Trump as their cure? Those who were bothered by the insincerity of an elite found salvation in a man who comes to a campaign rally wearing a worker's vest? And they don't see this as shallow demagogy, but as an "alternative".
Today's world has collapsed precisely because the very idea of an alternative has been defiled and humiliated. That is why one can believe that the alternative to a relatively reliable public order are politicians like Putin and Trump. Who are waging their anachronistic wars for territory and oil...
Don't be naive - most of political history unfolds in exactly that way - the stronger can do whatever they want. I have the power, therefore I have the right. That world, the world of wars and fortress states, at least for a short time (in historical terms), after the terrible experience of World War II was replaced by a world that believed in the idea of the United Nations, dialogue, states that are not fortresses, but squares (and markets, actually). Today, before our eyes, that world is disappearing or is being seriously questioned.
For all that it represented, this attempt to make the world different from the dominant dark tones of historical experience is worthy of defense. No matter how bleak everything may seem, there are things worth fighting for. Only struggle gives meaning to hope.
Who knows, maybe Trump will even consider kidnapping all the citizens of Greenland? All 55.000 of them. That wouldn't be impossible and it's stupid enough, and in Trump's case, you shouldn't dismiss anything that seems stupid and unnecessary lightly.
Bonus video:
