By Angélique Bouchard
January 3, 2026, marks a pivotal moment in inter-American relations and U.S. foreign policy. In a meticulously executed overnight military operation of extraordinary precision and effectiveness, U.S. special forces—supported by large-scale airstrikes targeting Caracas and key strategic sites—captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple was swiftly transferred to New York to face long-standing federal charges of narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and leadership of the Cartel de los Soles—indictments issued in 2020 and bolstered in 2026 by the Southern District of New York.
Hours later, from his Mar-a-Lago residence, President Donald Trump announced the operation’s success on Truth Social before delivering an authoritative press conference proclaiming the revival of the Monroe Doctrine under the banner of the Don-Roe Doctrine. “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never again be questioned,” he declared, adding: “We had sort of forgotten about it. It was very important, but we forgot about it. We’re not forgetting anymore.”
This Don-Roe Doctrine—a bold fusion of James Monroe’s original vision and Theodore Roosevelt’s pragmatic interventionism—heralds the return of an America resolute in safeguarding its vital interests and intolerant of criminal regimes or hostile influences in its immediate neighborhood.
Overwhelming and Unified Republican Support: Rallying Behind Visionary Leadership
Republican lawmakers in Congress offered unequivocal backing for the presidential initiative, hailing it as a strategic triumph essential to national security and hemispheric stability.
Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-FL), a member of the House Armed Services Committee representing a district with a large Venezuelan exile community, stated after a detailed briefing from Secretary of State Marco Rubio:
“President Trump has changed the course of history in our hemisphere. Our nation and the world are safer because of it. Today’s decisive action is the hemispheric equivalent of the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) emphasized the operation’s legal and strategic soundness:
“President Trump’s decisive action to break an unacceptable status quo and apprehend Maduro—executing a valid Department of Justice warrant—represents a critical first step toward bringing him to justice for drug-related crimes charged in the United States. I am grateful to the brave men and women of our armed forces who carried out this necessary mission.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) affirmed with conviction: “Today’s military action in Venezuela was a decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives. President Trump puts American lives first, succeeding where others failed, and under his leadership, the United States will no longer allow criminal regimes to profit from the chaos and destruction they inflict on our country.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) stressed the imperative of justice for crimes against American citizens. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) called it “another victory for President Trump in protecting our homeland and cleaning up America’s backyard.” Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) drew a compelling historical parallel: “This is a historic day in the Western Hemisphere, 36 years after the capture of Manuel Noriega, when the United States demonstrated it would not allow cartels to control nations in our shared neighborhood.”
Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) paid stirring tribute to the troops, intelligence community, and law enforcement.
Even Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), known for his constitutional vigilance, fully endorsed the action after Rubio’s explanations: “This likely falls within the president’s inherent Article II authority to protect American personnel from actual or imminent attack.”
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A Divided Democratic Response, with Notable Bipartisan Exception
Most Democrats expressed reservations over process, citing the lack of prior congressional consultation. Leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, along with several members, raised constitutional concerns.
Yet Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), influenced by her state’s Venezuelan community, provided a significant bipartisan note:
“The capture of Venezuela’s brutal and illegitimate leader, Nicolás Maduro—who oppressed the Venezuelan people—is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, illegal, and disastrous regime.”
She called for a democratic transition to Edmundo González while demanding full congressional briefings.
The Don-Roe Doctrine: Historical Continuity with the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary
The Don-Roe Doctrine aligns with a centuries-old American diplomatic tradition. Proclaimed by President James Monroe on December 2, 1823, the original Monroe Doctrine established a clear defensive principle: the newly independent Western Hemisphere would tolerate neither renewed European colonization nor interference in the affairs of sovereign American states, unilaterally designating the hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence.
It was President Theodore Roosevelt who transformed it into an active instrument of intervention. Triggered by the 1902–1903 Venezuelan crisis—where European powers blockaded Venezuela over debts—Roosevelt articulated his corollary in his December 6, 1904, message to Congress:
“Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power.”
Embodied in the maxim “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” this corollary justified direct and sustained interventions.
The 2026 Don-Roe Doctrine represents its contemporary reactivation, tailored to 21st-century threats: state-sponsored narco-terrorism, alliances with hostile powers, and direct risks to American security.
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A Striking Parallel with Operation Just Cause
Thirty-six years after President George H.W. Bush’s Operation Just Cause, history resonates powerfully. Launched on December 20, 1989, to depose indicted drug trafficker Manuel Noriega, it mobilized 27,000 troops in airborne assaults, urban combat, and seizure of Panamanian headquarters, culminating in Noriega’s surrender on January 3, 1990.
The parallels with the January 3, 2026, operation are profound: enforcement of a federal judicial warrant, capture of a narco-criminal leader, and aim of democratic restoration. Differences highlight technological and strategic evolution: the current action was more surgical, avoiding massive ground occupation while addressing far greater energy and geopolitical stakes.
Geopolitical Stakes: A Decisive Blow to Beijing and Moscow
Beyond neutralizing the Maduro regime, the operation delivers a strategic setback to China and Russia’s ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
Since 2007, the People’s Republic of China invested over $60 billion in Venezuela, primarily in oil-for-loan deals with PDVSA. These opaque arrangements granted Beijing privileged access to the Orinoco Belt—the world’s largest proven reserves, exceeding 300 billion barrels. Maduro’s fall directly threatens these contracts, depriving China of a key partner in diversifying energy supplies and bypassing U.S.-dominated sea routes.
Russia entrenched its influence through Rosneft’s multibillion-dollar prepayments for oil deliveries and strategic assets in fields like PetroVictoria and Junín-6. Moscow used Caracas as a regional platform for influence operations, arms sales (S-300 systems, Kalashnikovs), and military partnerships. The announced U.S. transitional administration endangers these assets—already partially frozen by prior sanctions—and durably weakens Russian power projection in Latin America amid heightened global tensions.
Cuba, nearly 100% dependent on subsidized Venezuelan oil, faces abrupt isolation, potentially accelerating the collapse of its already fragile regime.
Finally, the operation paves the way for a massive return of American companies—ExxonMobil, Chevron, and others—to Venezuelan fields, securing U.S. energy independence, reducing import reliance, and exerting downward pressure on global crude prices to the direct benefit of American consumers.
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Leadership Restoring American Greatness and Security: Momentum Ahead of the 2026 Midterms
Through its unprecedented ambition and strategic reach, the Don-Roe Doctrine forcefully reaffirms a timeless principle of American diplomacy: under President Trump’s clear-sighted and resolute leadership, the United States maintains unwavering vigilance over its hemisphere, categorically rejecting criminal regimes or rival powers establishing footholds.
This decisive operation protects American citizens from an immediate threat, ends a major source of deadly drugs ravaging communities, halts illegal migration flows at their source, neutralizes Beijing and Moscow’s adversarial ambitions in America’s backyard, and ushers in a new era of regional stability, energy prosperity, and uncontested leadership that will make America stronger and safer for generations.
As Rep. Carlos Giménez aptly stated, President Trump has truly altered the course of hemispheric history—a resounding success poised to galvanize Republican voters and solidify the MAGA majority in Congress ahead of the November 2026 midterms.
With this demonstration of strength and vision, Americans see clearly that the Trump administration delivers tangible results: fewer drugs on our streets, more secure borders, abundant and affordable energy, and a world where America leads without compromise. immediate threat.
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A Faithful Revival of Historical Mechanisms with Contemporary Adaptations
The 2026 operation against Maduro reactivates these mechanisms with remarkable fidelity. The grievances invoked—state-sponsored narco-terrorism, alliances with hostile powers (Russia, China, Iran), migratory instability, and threats to American security—echo Roosevelt’s “chronic wrongdoing.” The temporary administration announced by President Trump, including petroleum exploitation to offset operational costs and fund a transition, recalls the customs receiverships imposed by Washington in the early 20th century. The avoidance of massive ground occupation reflects adaptation to modern constraints, yet the core principle endures: preempting external influence by asserting American oversight.
Beyond the tactical efficacy of the operation—hailed as “surgical” by the Trump administration—lies the question of what follows. The power vacuum risks empowering armed factions or militias, potentially replicating post-intervention chaos observed elsewhere. The emphasis on petroleum resources fuels suspicions of unabashed energy imperialism, at a time when the United States seeks to curtail import dependence while countering Chinese influence.
The Don-Roe Doctrine thus reveals a profound continuity in American policy toward its “backyard”: a regional hegemony that, under the banner of protecting national interests and promoting democracy, reaffirms the primacy of power over international law. It raises, more urgently than ever, questions about the limits of a global order in which sovereignty remains subordinate to the strategic imperatives of great powers.
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Diplômée de la Business School de La Rochelle (Excelia – Bachelor Communication et Stratégies Digitales) et du CELSA – Sorbonne Université, Angélique Bouchard, 25 ans, est titulaire d’un Master 2 de recherche, spécialisation « Géopolitique des médias ». Elle est journaliste indépendante et travaille pour de nombreux médias. Elle est en charge des grands entretiens pour Le Dialogue.