No Reuters, Nicaragua is not in the "US' backyard".
No Reuters, Nicaragua is not in the "US' backyard".
And the Monroe Doctrine is not "alive and well."
“The Monroe Doctrine is alive and well.” —Trump’s National Security advisor, John Bolton in 2019
BEIJING/TAIPEI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - China and Nicaragua re-established diplomatic ties on Friday after the Central American country broke relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, boosting Beijing in a part of the world long considered the United States' backyard and angering Washington.
Why should China and Nicaragua establishing diplomatic relations anger anyone? Shouldn’t it be applauded when nations agree to have normal rather than hostile relationships?
And as far as not recognizing Taiwan as a separate country from China, there are only 14 countries in the world that do. Nothing abnormal about that. In fact, the U.S. itself, despite its increasing cold-war rhetoric and billion in arms sales to Taiwan, maintains the “one-China” policy it has held since its normalization of relations with the PRC in 1979.
Also, since when is Nicaragua considered part of the US’ “backyard”? Nicaragua is an independent country, a member of the UN that freely elects its government and has an independent foreign policy.
The answer to the last question is: Since the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 declared that all of Latin America and the Caribbean were part of the U.S. sphere of influence and threatened any competitor that dared to colonize within that sphere.
Bolton’s reference to the 19th-century colonial-era principle under which the US gave itself the right to police Latin America was meant as Trump’s warning to Russia and China not venture into “our” neighborhood. But it was nothing but wishful thinking. A fit of imperialist nostalgia.
The U.S. isn’t the colonial power it once was in Latin America and isn’t the sole dominant superpower in the new multi-polar world.
Oh, and as for London-based Reuters, they should junk the U.S. “backyard” phrase. Just think back to when you used to say, the sun never sets on the British flag?
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