BEIJING, January 8. /TASS/. The United States is no longer a constitutional country, and its people have no influence over Washington’s foreign policy strategy, said Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development.

"The US is no longer a constitutional system. It is run by a military-security apparatus, unfortunately. Congress plays a small role. The US public plays no role in US foreign policy. It is all very worrisome," Sachs told the Global Times newspaper, commenting on the attack on Venezuela organized by the White House.

According to Sachs, Washington’s actions represent "a particularly egregious case." "The US is the country in the world least aligned with the UN Charter. US foreign policy works through wars, covert regime-change operations, economic sanctions and other hostile actions. This is all in violation of the spirit of the UN Charter and international law," the expert said.

The political scientist also noted that the Monroe Doctrine, which he described as the basis for American imperialist aggression, originally stated that European powers should not establish new colonies in the Americas or use force in the region. "It was not a license for the US to invade other countries in the Americas," he explained.

Sachs further specified that the "Donroe Doctrine," coined by US leader Donald Trump, is "a brazen claim that the US will dominate the Americas, by force if necessary." "[US president 1901-1909] Theodore Roosevelt had a Roosevelt Corollary that the US would police the Americas, but even Roosevelt's Corollary was nowhere near as crude and violent as the current US government," he concluded.

On January 3, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said that the US had attacked civilian and military targets in Caracas, calling it military aggression and prompting the republic to declare a state of emergency. Trump later confirmed the strikes and announced the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were taken to the United States. The White House chief also expressed confidence that Washington would obtain compensation for its oil companies from the Venezuelan side.