Opinion | How Trump’s revival of the Monroe Doctrine undermines US interests

Beyond disrupting China’s global initiatives, Washington’s aggressive execution of a revived Monroe Doctrine risks undermining US President Donald Trump’s own stated aim of safeguarding the western hemisphere and Western civilisation.

The 2025 US National Security Strategy warned that Europe faces “civilisational erasure” due to immigration, essentially urging a revival of European nationalism. Echoing similar anxieties at home, US conservatives – through initiatives such as Project 2025 – seek to “make America great again” by reasserting a Christian national identity.

On the international stage, through the Global Civilisation Initiative, China aims to share its domestic experiences, promoting dialogue and mutual respect among the world’s varied civilisations. Notably, this initiative operates as part of a coordinated set of global proposals, alongside the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative. Collectively, these frameworks embody China’s integrated approach to addressing the complex, interconnected challenges facing the international community.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping embarks on global outreach, Trump is retreating to hemispheric control, a key objective of the National Security Strategy. This month, the US set this strategy in motion by targeting Venezuela, a move Washington framed as securing America’s backyard.

In an interconnected world, Trump’s retreat into a geographically defined “sphere of influence” is counterproductive. Global crises – from pandemics to climate change – do not respect national borders. Yet in January, Trump doubled down on this inward turn and withdrew the US from 66 international organisations, including United Nations bodies created to address such challenges.