Protesters hold signs showing disapproval of American actions in Venezuela in front of the White House Washington on January 3, 2026. Photo: VCG

US foreign policy works through wars, covert regime-change operations, economic sanctions and other hostile actions, all of which are in violation of the spirit of the UN Charter and international law, said renowned US scholar Jeffrey Sachs in a written interview with the Global Times over US latest actions against Venezuela on Tuesday.

The January 3 US attack on Venezuela and the forcible seizure of President Nicolás Maduro have stunned the world, raising questions as to whether the international law still has a binding effect on countries, especially such a superpower as the US.

"The US is a particularly egregious case. It is the country in the world least aligned with the UN Charter," noted Sachs.

In December, the White House unveiled its National Security Strategy, which explicitly referenced the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine policy: "After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere." "They now call it the 'Donroe Doctrine,'" said US President Donald Trump when describing the US military operation in Venezuela.

Sachs believes that the Monroe Doctrine was not a license for the US to invade other countries in the Americas, yet Donroe Doctrine "is a brazen claim that the US will dominate the Americas, by force if necessary."

"Theodore Roosevelt had a Roosevelt Corollary that the US would police the Americas, but even Roosevelt's Corollary was nowhere near as crude and violent as the current US administration's. The Donroe Doctrine is different and new," said Sachs.

US actions in Venezuela have caused concerns across the world over a possible spillover or domino effect, as the US boasts of its goal of dominating the Western hemisphere. Sachs said he does not believe the US will dominate the Americas, because if it tries, a lot of violence will result.

"Most of the rest of the world desires sovereignty and peace, not US domination. I think most of the rest of the world will resist the US attempt at hegemony and stand with international law," said Sachs.

Sachs noted what worries him now is that the US is no longer a constitutional system. It is, unfortunately, run by a military-security apparatus; meanwhile, Congress plays a small role and the US public plays no role in US foreign policy.