Former Union Minister P Chidambaram has criticized US President Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela as a violation of the Monroe Doctrine in his column. He termed it the Bush-Trump doctrine and saw it as a sign of imperialism's return. He also questioned India's neutrality on the issue.
Two hundred years after the Monroe Doctrine was declared by the fifth US President in 1823, it was invoked by the 47th President despite doubts about its power. On the night of January 2/3, 2026, President Donald Trump used US military power to invade Venezuela, capture elected President Nicolas Maduro, and take him to face trial in a New York criminal court. Chidambaram described this as a transgression of every basic tenet of the doctrine, noting no foreign power had interfered in Venezuela's affairs.
Maduro was elected by the people, though the election was bitterly contested, and he had turned undemocratic and authoritarian. Chidambaram called the new approach the Bush-Trump doctrine, drawing parallels to the 1989 US invasion of Panama under George Bush Sr., aimed at regime change. He referenced the failed Iraq invasion in 2003 over fabricated WMD threats and the 2001-2021 Afghanistan war against al Qaeda and the Taliban as part of the 'war on terror'. In Venezuela, Maduro was accused of drug trafficking and narcotics smuggling into the US, but without public evidence.
From Trump's statements, it was clear Maduro was a casualty in the pursuit of controlling Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the world's largest, which were shifting toward China for exports, arms, and investment. Shortly after the capture, Trump said large US oil companies would be allowed to 'produce and sell' Venezuelan oil and 'make money'. The four-hour Operation Absolute Resolve demonstrated US military superiority, snatching Maduro from a heavily protected presidential house without casualties.
Chidambaram warned that this gives a free pass to imperialism, potentially emboldening Russia and China—Trump hinted at grabbing Greenland, and China might intrude into India's borders. India remained unnoticed; Trump snubbed Narendra Modi twice, and India's official statement on 'recent developments in Venezuela' urged peaceful dialogue without condemning the US or Maduro's capture. Chidambaram noted India is isolated among BRICS founders and Europe, losing relevance in world affairs despite 'Vishwaguru' claims. He portrayed Trump as the most interventionist US president in history, tallying actions in Palestine, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, and now Venezuela, mourning the return of imperialism and the demise of national sovereignty.
