"If there is one characteristic that defines the erratic and incoherent " Donroe Doctrine " of President Trump, then it must be the principle that "might makes right" in international politics. The Trump administration has little need for international law. It is willfully and blatantly disregarded and, indeed, discarded. Instead, from Greenland to Gaza, from Venezuela to Iran, the "law of the jungle" reigns supreme."
"An example of the latter is what occurred earlier this week when Vice President JD Vance flew to the Caucasus in a bid to bolster American influence and pressure on Iran's northern frontier, at a time when tension between Washington and Tehran has never been higher. Amid profound domestic crises in the US, it would seem prudent to avoid dragging America into such far-flung adventurism, in a part of the world that is virtually unknown to most Americans."
"Vance's Caucasian itinerary consisted of two of the three South Caucasus states-Armenia and Azerbaijan. Georgia, once the favorite of American neocons, was conspicuously avoided. In 2008, its president, Mikheil Saakashvili, had bungled his way into a confrontation with Russia at the behest of the Bush administration. Facing a bear-like reaction from Moscow, Tbilisi was left in the lurch by Washington. While Georgia has since learned from this painful episode, Armenia's Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev have decided to try their luck at the "Saakashvili" approach, with ample encouragement from President Trump."
The Donroe Doctrine embraces a worldview where power overrides international law. The Trump administration routinely discards legal constraints and relies on coercion, from Greenland to Gaza and beyond. Vice President JD Vance's Caucasus trip sought to increase American pressure on Iran's northern frontier despite high tensions with Tehran and Russia. The visit risked entangling the United States in distant regional conflicts amid domestic crises. Vance visited Armenia and Azerbaijan while avoiding Georgia, recalling Georgia's 2008 confrontation with Russia. Armenia and Azerbaijan appear emboldened to test boundaries, encouraged by American signaling despite clear warnings from Russia and Iran.
Read at The Nation
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