MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is shaping his policy toward Venezuela around the principles of the so-called "Donroe Doctrine," which treats the Western Hemisphere as Washington’s de facto "backyard," former Austrian Foreign Minister and head of the G.O.R.K.I. Center at St. Petersburg State University Karin Kneissl said in an interview with TASS.

According to Kneissl, "raw materials always play a role to some extent." "You just need to put on your oil market glasses to understand why so much in the world is arranged this way," she said. At the same time, she stressed that Venezuela, like other Caribbean and Latin American countries, has long been viewed by the US as its "backyard." "Yes, resources matter, but in my view the issue is much broader than that," she explained.

"It is no coincidence that the media often refer to the Monroe Doctrine today," Kneissl said. "President James Monroe essentially pushed other players out of North and South America, declaring that this was US territory and that the United States would set the rules. Of course, other actors had been present before. Now people speak of a ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ replacing the M in Monroe with a D for Donald," she added.

The Monroe Doctrine, which defined US foreign policy, was proclaimed by the country’s fifth president, James Monroe, in his annual address to Congress in 1823. Under the doctrine, Washington declared South America an exclusive zone of US interests.

 

Pleasing voters

 

"In other words, the US still abides by the old geopolitical mindset that this is its hemisphere," Kneissl continued. "This approach has been characteristic of almost every American administration and is also linked to the electorate. We should always remember that Spanish speaking voters in the US, immigrants from Cuba, Mexico, El Salvador, and other countries, are an extremely important and growing group. I cannot give an exact percentage, but in a number of states their influence is enormous."

She noted that figures such as US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio illustrate this focus. "He holds two positions at once and, if you read the press, is also tasked with issues related to Cuba and the region," Kneissl said. "For politicians like this, the priorities are obvious. Naturally, they devote far more attention to this region than to, for example, Egypt, Iran, or Ukraine. Just as the European Union will always have a certain position on Russia, whether positive or negative, while only a few countries such as Portugal or Spain are deeply interested in Venezuela because their nationals live there."

 

US official mindset

 

Kneissl also addressed terminology, saying she deliberately uses "the United States" rather than "America." "Most people simply say ‘America,’ and even Americans themselves constantly repeat the motto ‘Make America Great Again.’ But America, or the Americas, is a continent. It includes North, Central, and South America," she said. "The United States is part of that continent, alongside the Caribbean states, Canada, and many other countries."

"I therefore consistently use the terms ‘the United States,’ ‘the States,’ or ‘US citizens’ instead of ‘Americans’ to underline that we are talking about a continent," Kneissl noted. "From the US perspective, however, this is often conveniently reduced to the formula ‘It’s all America’," she concluded.