The Hill Praises Trump's 'Imperial Muscle' While Forgetting History
When The Hill runs with headlines celebrating 'imperialist muscle' in Venezuela, one might wonder if their historical archives go back further than 1999. The outlet frames Donald Trump's aggressive rhetoric and sanctions against Nicolás Maduro as novel 'strongman' politics. What they fail to mention, of course, is that 'regime change' in Latin America has been a bipartisan American sport since the
Monroe Doctrine. From Chile's Salvador Allende in 1973 (overthrown with US backing via the CIA, leading to Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship) to the countless destabilization efforts across the continent, this playbook is older than most of their editorial staff. Call it 'the Roe Doctrine' or 'Muscular Diplomacy,' but it's the same old tune: countries that don't bend to Washington's will get
economically strangled, then lectured about 'democracy.' (Unless they have oil, which usually accelerates the process.) The only 'new' muscle here is the willingness to admit it's imperialist – a refreshing, if chilling, honesty from the establishment press.