Trump's "Donroe Doctrine" sets U.S. on collision course with Russia and China

"Zoom in: The Coast Guard's seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic on Wednesday offered an early glimpse of what enforcing the Donroe Doctrine looks like in practice. The Trump administration alleges that the vessel was violating U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil. Moscow denounced the seizure as "outright piracy." Russian naval assets, including a submarine, were operating nearby during the interdiction - making it one of the most direct U.S. confrontations with Russian forces in years."

"Zoom out: The seizure underscores how Trump's Venezuela intervention has struck at a hub of foreign influence built by U.S. adversaries. A senior Chinese envoy met with Maduro in Caracas the night before the U.S. raid, highlighting how closely Beijing had aligned itself with Venezuela's fallen strongman. The Trump administration is now pressing Venezuela's interim government to expel intelligence officers from Russia, China, Iran and Cuba, aiming to dismantle the foreign security networks that helped prop up Maduro's rule."

The Trump administration asserts a modern Monroe Doctrine that treats the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence and warns rival powers against encroachment. The U.S. Coast Guard seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker accused of violating sanctions on Venezuelan oil, prompting Russian condemnation and revealing nearby Russian naval activity. The seizure forms part of a push to dismantle foreign influence in Venezuela after Maduro's fall; a Chinese envoy met Maduro before the raid. Washington is urging Venezuela's interim government to expel intelligence officers from Russia, China, Iran and Cuba. Critics warn that claiming regional carte blanche could undermine U.S. credibility on Taiwan, the South China Sea, and NATO's eastern flank.

Read at Axios