On March 7, the first "Shield of the Americas" summit was held in Florida, USA. Leaders and representatives from 12 South and Central American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Panama, attended the summit and took a group photo before the meeting. Leaders of traditional regional powers such as Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil did not attend.

Previously, the White House stated that after years of neglect, President Trump has revived "Tang Luoism" to restore America's leading position in the Western Hemisphere. This summit will make "America and its partner countries great again."

Donald Trump's "New Monroe Doctrine" has officially begun.

This summit is not open to all American countries but is an exclusive gathering. The United States invited 12 countries with similar ideologies and right-leaning leaderships, including Argentina, Chile, and Panama. The summit was held at a Trump-owned property, and the agenda focused on two areas: security (combating drug trafficking and illegal immigration) and economy (critical mineral supply chains).

Significant Absence of the "Leader"

The key issue is who didn't come. The leaders of traditional regional powers - Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil - were collectively absent. This indicates that the region is not united in its approach to America's "Hemispheric Priority" strategy. These countries prefer to maintain strategic autonomy and are unwilling to take sides simply.

The real intention behind the summit is the Trump administration's vigorous promotion of "Tang Luoism" (i.e., "Trump's interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine"). Its core is:

Rebuild absolute dominance: Emphasize America's exclusive sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere and restore its "leading" position.

Compared to the traditional Monroe Doctrine, it tends to use military intervention and extreme pressure to achieve its goals.

The Real Intentions Behind the Summit

Analysts believe that this summit is not just rhetoric but also has deeper strategic considerations:

Focus on key mineral resources such as the "Lithium Triangle" composed of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, serving the U.S. military and new energy industries.

Intend to coordinate allies, reassess or even terminate cooperation projects with China, and prevent China's "penetration" in Latin American infrastructure and trade, which is seen as an important strategy to contain China.

Under the background of controversies surrounding Middle East warfare, it aims to create diplomatic achievements for domestic midterm elections and boost the campaign.

Although Trump is ambitious, this strategy faces significant challenges.

Analysts point out that the U.S. often "promises much but delivers little," lacking substantial financial investment. In contrast, China's cooperation with Latin America is based on actual development needs, economically complementary, and most Latin American countries are unwilling to sacrifice their trade and economic relations with China to please the U.S. Therefore, this approach of forming a small circle and creating blocs may not achieve the expected results in the long term. It is no different in essence from Biden's "small yard, high wall."

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859035606030348/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.