Tag Archives: Monroe Doctrine

Dealing With The Entire Problem

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On Wednesday, Legal Insurrection posted an article about America’s seizure of a tanker on the coasts of Venezuela. The article explains some of the reasons behind the taking of the tanker.

The article reports:

Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.

The article quotes Axios:

Zoom in: The U.S. has sanctioned Venezuela’s oil company for years, but this vessel was seized because it was on the U.S. Treasury Department’s “Specially Designated Nationals” list for allegedly violating other sanctions, providing the justification for it to be seized.

    • The vessel is known as a VLCC, or Very Large Crude Carrier, capable of transporting as much as 320,000 deadweight tons of crude, two sources with direct knowledge said.
    • The exact details of the seizure, first reported by Bloomberg, are unclear and administration officials could not be reached for comment.

The article concludes:

Then there’s Cuba, the home of the oil on the tanker.

As Marc Caputo at Axios pointed out, Cuba is an ally of Venezuela and a U.S. adversary.

The system in place is corrupt because of course:

Havana sells Venezuelan crude on the black market, chiefly to Asian markets that ultimately feed China.

    • The crude oil is handled by a grandson of Raul Castro, the former leader of Cuba and brother of longtime dictator Fidel Castro, the insiders say.
    • In addition to splitting the profits with Venezuela, Cuba supplies intelligence services and agents who protect Maduro.
    • “This is a twofer: we’re going after Maduro’s bank account and the Cubans that keep him in power,” one of the sources said.

According to the National Archives:

While the Monroe Doctrine’s message was designed to keep European powers out of the Western Hemisphere, Roosevelt would strengthen its meaning to justify sending the United States into other countries of the Western Hemisphere. As a result, U.S. Marines were sent into Santo Domingo in 1904, Nicaragua in 1911, and Haiti in 1915, ostensibly to keep the Europeans out. Other Latin American nations viewed these interventions with misgiving, and relations between the “great Colossus of the North” and its southern neighbors remained strained for many years.

In 1962, the Monroe Doctrine was invoked symbolically when the Soviet Union began to build missile-launching sites in Cuba. With the support of the Organization of American States, President John F. Kennedy threw a naval and air quarantine around the island. After several tense days, the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw the missiles and dismantle the sites. Subsequently, the United States dismantled several of its obsolete air and missile bases in Turkey.

The Monroe Doctrine needs to be enforced, both for America’s safety and for the protection of other free nations in our hemisphere.

Bringing Back The Monroe Doctrine

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History.com describes the Monroe Doctrine as folllows:

The Monroe Doctrine, first outlined in a speech to Congress in 1823, had President James Monroe warning European powers to not attempt further colonization, military intervention or other interference in the Western Hemisphere, stating that the United States would view any such interference as a potentially hostile act. Over the centuries, the Monroe Doctrine policy has become a cornerstone of U.S. diplomatic and military policies.

In recent years, that policy has been somewhat ignored. That changed on January 20th of this year.

On Sunday, Legal Insurrection reported:

Panama has decided not to renew its memorandum of understanding with China on the Belt and Road Initiative, marking a significant shift in its foreign policy. The move follows increased U.S. pressure, as Washington works to curb Beijing’s growing influence in Latin America.

This decision came as Senator Marco Rubio visited Panama to discuss key issues like the Panama Canal’s operations and migration through the Darien Gap, a critical transit point for migrants heading to the U.S.

This is definitely a move in the right direction. I would like to say that the article is incorrect in describing Marco Rubio as a Senator–he has been confirmed as Secretary of State.