{"id":354523,"date":"2026-01-21T21:19:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=354523"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:28:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T04:58:49","slug":"the-donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Donroe doctrine\u2019, a broken international order"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>UPSC Syllabus Topic:<\/strong> <strong>GS Paper 2 &#8211;<\/strong>International Relation.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The year 2026 opened with a strong signal that the <strong>post-1945 international order is weakening<\/strong>. The U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro marked a return to <strong>power-based geopolitics<\/strong>. This action, termed the <strong>\u2018Donroe Doctrine\u2019<\/strong>, reflects declining respect for sovereignty, international law, and multilateral institutions. <strong>The \u2018Donroe doctrine\u2019, a broken international order.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-354644\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/The-%E2%80%98Donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order.png?resize=415%2C275&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The \u2018Donroe doctrine\u2019, a broken international order\" width=\"415\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/The-%E2%80%98Donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order.png?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/The-%E2%80%98Donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order.png?resize=1024%2C680&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/The-%E2%80%98Donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order.png?resize=768%2C510&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/The-%E2%80%98Donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order.png?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 415px) 100vw, 415px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Donroe Doctrine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Origin and meaning:<\/strong> The \u201cDonroe Doctrine\u201d (a blend of &#8220;Donald&#8221; and &#8220;Monroe&#8221;) is a modern interpretation of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, shaped by President Donald Trump\u2019s foreign policy approach. Unlike the original doctrine, which was defensive in nature, the Donroe Doctrine openly supports coercive intervention and regime enforcement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Core principle:<\/strong> The doctrine asserts that the <strong>United States is the sole security guarantor of the Western Hemisphere<\/strong>. It rejects interference by non-Hemispheric powers such as China and Russia.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tactics:<\/strong> It involves a mix of policies, including:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u25e6\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>Economic Tools:<\/strong> Sanctions, tariffs, and economic bailouts.<\/p>\n<p>\u25e6\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>Military Posturing:<\/strong> Threats and interventions, notably in Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>\u25e6\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <strong>Pressure Campaigns:<\/strong> Against governments seen as violating U.S. interests or aligning with rivals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Triggering event:<\/strong> U.S. airborne forces abducted <strong>Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife<\/strong> in a swift operation. They were incarcerated in the U.S. on charges of threatening American security.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Policy foundation:<\/strong> The <strong>U.S. National Security Strategy (November 2025)<\/strong> clearly states Washington\u2019s intent to <strong>reassert pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere<\/strong> after years of neglect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Strategic objective:<\/strong> The strategy seeks to <strong>deny rival powers the ability to deploy forces or control vital assets<\/strong> in the Hemisphere, treating regional dominance as a core U.S. interest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signals of expansion:<\/strong> Implicit threats were issued toward <strong>Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico<\/strong>, while <strong>Greenland<\/strong> was described as a security necessity due to its strategic location.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Concern of Donroe Doctrine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Violation of sovereignty:<\/strong> The forcible detention of a sitting head of state represents a <strong>direct breach of national sovereignty<\/strong> and diplomatic norms.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Muted global response:<\/strong> Worldwide protests remained limited, indicating <strong>declining faith in collective international resistance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breakdown of rules-based order:<\/strong> The episode reinforces the belief that the <strong>post-Second World War system is no longer effective<\/strong> in restraining major powers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Normalisation of force:<\/strong> Military abduction is now projected as a legitimate policy tool, encouraging <strong>coercive regime change<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Precedent for other powers:<\/strong> Such actions risk encouraging <strong>China and Russia to enforce dominance<\/strong> within their own zones of influence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Taiwan implication:<\/strong> China\u2019s claim over <strong>Taiwan gains indirect justification<\/strong> in an environment where force replaces law.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Global Implications of the Donroe Doctrine<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>United States:<\/strong> The doctrine marks a formal return to <strong>military interventionism and hemispheric dominance<\/strong>. It places <strong>national power above international law<\/strong>, reviving coercive \u201cshock and awe\u201d tactics as legitimate policy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Venezuela:<\/strong> The capture of its President shows the <strong>complete erosion of sovereignty for smaller states<\/strong>. It establishes regime change through force as an acceptable international practice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Europe:<\/strong> The doctrine shifts U.S. strategic focus away from Europe and demands that it <strong>assume primary responsibility for its defence<\/strong>. This weakens security assurances built after 1945.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ukraine:<\/strong> U.S. pursuit of strategic stability with Russia increases pressure for a negotiated settlement. Any outcome may remain <strong>unsatisfactory to both sides<\/strong>, risking future escalation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Russia:<\/strong> The doctrine enables <strong>transactional engagement<\/strong> between Washington and Moscow. Russia gains leverage as U.S. priorities move from Europe to hemispheric control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Israel:<\/strong> Strong U.S. interventionism provides political and military backing. It creates conditions to <strong>complete the unfinished conflict of 2025<\/strong> under favourable circumstances.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Iran:<\/strong> The doctrine emboldens U.S.\u2013Israel action amid Iran\u2019s internal unrest. It increases risks of <strong>sanctions, destabilisation, and external intervention<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Afghanistan:<\/strong> The weakening of global restraint allows extremist groups to <strong>regain operational space<\/strong>. Regional instability expands under reduced international accountability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pakistan:<\/strong> Renewed U.S. strategic interest strengthens the military establishment. <strong>Arms supplies and diplomatic support reinforce military dominance<\/strong> over democratic institutions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>China:<\/strong> The doctrine legitimises <strong>zone-of-influence politics<\/strong>, strengthening China\u2019s argument for coercive regional control. It reinforces Beijing\u2019s strategic confidence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Taiwan:<\/strong> A permissive global environment increases coercion risks. China may interpret U.S. actions as validation of <strong>force-based territorial claims<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Indo-Pacific Region:<\/strong> U.S. concentration on the Western Hemisphere reduces exclusive dominance. The <strong>Eastern Pacific and Indian Ocean witness rising multipolar competition<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>India:<\/strong> The doctrine deepens India\u2019s strategic squeeze. <strong>U.S. pressure on Russian oil, renewed U.S.\u2013Pakistan alignment, and China\u2019s trade leverage<\/strong> narrow India\u2019s diplomatic and economic space.<\/p>\n<p><strong>India at the Crossroads<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Strained India\u2013U.S. relations:<\/strong> The U.S. continues to criticise India for importing subsidised Russian oil despite India supporting Washington on most global issues. This has created visible friction in bilateral ties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Diplomatic isolation in conflict regions:<\/strong> The cooling of India\u2013U.S. relations has affected India\u2019s engagement with other countries. This has reduced India\u2019s influence in conflict zones such as West Asia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pakistan\u2019s renewed U.S. backing:<\/strong> The U.S. endorsement of Field Marshal Asim Munir and removal of restrictions on arms supplies have strengthened Pakistan\u2019s military position. This directly worsens India\u2019s security environment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>China-related economic pressure:<\/strong> China\u2019s advantage in trade and tariff disputes leaves India little room to hedge against possible U.S. tariff escalation. This increases India\u2019s economic vulnerability.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Donroe Doctrine reflects a decisive shift from rules-based cooperation to power-driven geopolitics. Sovereignty and international law are steadily weakening. Regional instability is rising across continents. For India, 2026 offers limited strategic comfort, demanding cautious diplomacy, balanced partnerships, and sustained strategic autonomy in an increasingly uncertain global order.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Question for practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Discuss how the \u2018Donroe Doctrine\u2019 reflects the breakdown of the post-1945 international order and examine its implications for global geopolitics and India\u2019s strategic position.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/lead\/the-donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order\/article70530304.ece\"><strong>The Hindu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 &#8211;International Relation. Introduction The year 2026 opened with a strong signal that the post-1945 international order is weakening. The U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro marked a return to power-based geopolitics. This action, termed the \u2018Donroe Doctrine\u2019, reflects declining respect for sovereignty, international law, and multilateral institutions.&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The \u2018Donroe doctrine\u2019, a broken international order<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":354644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[212,11997,10498],"class_list":["post-354523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-international-relation","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/The-%E2%80%98Donroe-doctrine-a-broken-international-order.png?fit=1280%2C850&ssl=1","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}