Trump's 'Dominance' Rhetoric: When Empire Strikes Back, Again
The Independent gleefully maps every country Trump “threatened” post-Maduro's capture, painting a picture of rogue, unhinged American foreign policy. Yet, the framing conveniently ignores that this very 'dominance in the Western hemisphere' has been Washington's modus operandi for over a century – from the Monroe Doctrine to countless coups orchestrated south of the border (Guatemala 1954, Chile
1973, Honduras 2009, etc.). Trump's 'threats' are just the unvarnished version of what USAID and 'democracy promotion' missions have been doing for decades. When the 'newspaper of record' finally notices the empire, it pretends the emperor just put on a new, loud suit. One might wonder if 'threatening' a sovereign nation is only newsworthy when a particular president says the quiet parts out loud.
Or perhaps The Independent struggles with historical memory beyond the current news cycle. Given the US’s long history of intervention, often under the guise of 'democracy,' Trump’s statements simply highlight a consistent foreign policy, just without the diplomatic veneer. It's not a shift; it's a transparency-by-accident moment.