The New Monroe Doctrine: In This World, It’s Just Us

Sarah Anderson | 9:49 PM on April 24, 2026
AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Welcome to "The New Monroe Doctrine," where I give you an update on what's going on in the Western Hemisphere, south of our border, especially as it relates to the United States. 

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First up, y'all really seemed to enjoy last week's extensive trip around the Western Hemisphere. Within 24 hours, my inbox was full of nice emails, which I truly appreciate. It's encouraging when any of us here at PJ Media receive positive feedback from our readers, especially at a time when every little thing is so divisive (for example, you'd think I insulted your mamas the way some of y'all freaked out when I said "Gulf of Mexico" last week, even though it was appropriate given the context).  

Second, I haven't been able to research and write as much as I'd like this week because my dad has been sick, and I've had a few other things going on, so I feel like I'm a little behind on what's going on in the Americas over the last five or six days myself. These big updates help me get back on track. 

So, with all of that in mind, I think I'm going to do it again. Let's have fun, shall we? 

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda is preparing for snap elections next week, but it's also upping its tourism game. Charles "Max" Fernandez, the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation, and Investment for Antigua and Barbuda, announced this week $1.5 billion in investments over the next two to three years. The money will go toward airport upgrades, new beach and waterfront projects, and a brewery. It will also bring some much-needed jobs to the country   

Bahamas

The Bahamas recently broke ground on its $285 million New Providence Specialty Hospital. Sounds great until you realize that most of the funding is coming from China. Ambassador (and University of Georgia football legend, Go Dawgs!) Herschel Walker issued a statement in February, stating, "It doesn’t appear to be in the best of interests of The Bahamas to submit to Chinese law and labor standards on their own soil."  

This week, he reiterated his concerns, adding, "The United States remains committed to supporting healthcare infrastructure that truly serves Bahamian interests, under terms that respect Bahamian sovereignty, adhere to international norms, and mitigate project risks for The Bahamas. The United States’ offer to help The Bahamas secure better financing options — whether from public or private sources — remains on the table."  

The Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded, claiming that it tried to get help from the U.S. for a period of three years with no luck, so it gave in and opted to work with China. It also called the situation an "unusual intervention." 

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Fun fact: Those three years were during the Joe Biden administration. This is something I've been wanting to dig into deeper, and I may have to next week.  

Barbados

The Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) is calling for Barbados to abolish its death penalty. The country hasn't actually executed anyone since 1984, and it feels that keeping the option on the table helps keep crime down. As of 2023, six people were on death row. 

Belize

The Donald Trump administration nominated former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Rudolph Andreas "André" Bauer to become the next ambassador to Belize.

Costa Rica

I did get a chance this week to write about how Costa Rica is becoming an even more important U.S. partner on everything from deportations to drug busts. You can check that out here: From Drug Busts to Deportations: How One Ally Is Helping Trump Secure Our Region.

Also this week, President-elect Laura Fernández met with U.S. Ambassador Melinda Hildebrand at the U.S. Embassy in San José to discuss shared priorities between Costa Rica and the United States, including economic issues, drug trafficking, and mass migration. And the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officially have a permanent presence in Costa Rica, as was a part of an agreement signed at the Shield of the Americas in March. 

Cuba

Once again, I can't tell y'all how bored I am with writing about Cuba. It's the same thing every week. Trump says Cuba's next. The Cuban regime says something silly. The U.S. media loses its mind over something anonymous sources said. Big things are coming in Cuba, but we're stuck in this cycle now. Here's what I wrote this week: 

1. Trump Talks Military Action in Cuba

2. State Department, Cuban Regime Confirm 'Secret' Talks in Havana

Dominica

Dominica is ramping up its tourism game. The country "is developing the world's longest mono cable car system to provide cruise passengers 20-minute access to the previously inaccessible Boiling Lake by late 2026." 

Dominican Republic

This technically happened last week, but it's ongoing. Dominican Republic president Luis Abinader — a great friend to the U.S. —authorized the extradition of four Dominican nationals to the United States and Puerto Rico "in response to serious criminal charges including drug trafficking, murder, money laundering, and distribution of child sexual exploitation material." 

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El Salvador

The United States and El Salvador are currently co-hosting the multinational exercise CENTAM Guardian 26 in various locations across El Salvador.

President Nayib Bukele has been battling the U.S. media, making the case for the mass trial of 486 alleged MS-13 members. I'm going to let some of his social media posts speak for themselves here. 

Grenada

Grenada has been recognized for having one of the fastest-growing economies in the Caribbean: "In the April 2026 edition of the World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund estimated that Grenada’s real GDP grew by 4.4% in 2025 and projects growth of 3.1% in 2026 and 2027..." 

Guatemala

Hikers in Guatemala decided to explore a restricted area on Volcán Santiaguito this week. They quickly learned why it's restricted when the volcano erupted, and they had to run for their lives. 

Meanwhile, "The foreign ministers of the Dominican Republic and Guatemala signed a memorandum of understanding to create a Political and Business Forum aimed at strengthening economic cooperation, expanding trade, and encouraging investment between both nations." 

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Haiti 

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Fils-Aimé met with Marco Rubio at the State Department this week. Rubio reaffirmed U.S. support for Haiti’s stability and security.

Honduras

Honduras' new conservative president, Nasry "Tito" Asfura, is another great friend to Trump and the U.S. One thing he campaigned on was breaking away from China's hold on his country. This week, The Diplomat points out that he hasn't yet made moves to do that, but he's supposedly reviewing contracts. He's also rejoined the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) to attract better Western investment, but this story is worth keeping an eye on. We don't need more China in Central America than we've already got. 

Jamaica

Jamaica is experiencing a tourism boom. In the first quarter of 2026, it welcomed over one million visitors and 956 million in foreign exchange earnings. 

Mexico

We'll keep Mexico light this week. Two CIA officials died in a car crash after helping with a drug lab bust. Scott Bessent and Rubio went pretty hard with sanctions and visa restrictions against the Sinaloa Cartel this week. 

A gunman at Mexico’s Teotihuacán archeological zone shot and killed a Canadian and wounded at least seven other tourists, including two people from the United States. 

Nicaragua

Rubio also made a somewhat rare move last Saturday, April 18, and slapped some sanctions on elements of the regime in Nicaragua. I explain why he chose that date here: The Forgotten Dictatorship: Rubio's April 18 Sanctions Were No Accident. 

Panama

Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Panama Canal continues to see a huge surge in traffic and auction prices. It's a win for Panama, and authorities say everything runs smoothly despite the increase. 

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis welcomed "a historic goodwill visit from the Taiwan Navy" earlier this month, marking the squadron’s first arrival in 23 years, "and reaffirming the deep and enduring ties between the two nations." This technically happened about two weeks ago, but I felt it was worth a mention. 

Saint Lucia

Someone mentioned that I left Saint Lucia out last week — I actually had it, but I accidentally deleted it before submitting. But it's back! I also want to point out that I'm only doing sovereign countries.   

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Anyway, Saint Lucia’s left-leaning PM Philip Pierre dropped the island’s largest-ever budget this week without raising taxes. It includes relief for families, pensioners, and small businesses, plus incentives to ease doing business. Sounds great, but the opposition is incredibly worried about the growing budget

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

There's a big battle going on in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines over constitutional amendments that impact politicians with dual citizenship. Newly elected prime minister Dr. Godwin Friday and Foreign Minister Fitz Bramble both have Canadian citizenship — members of Parliament aren't allowed to owe "allegiance to a foreign power or state"  — and the opposition claims that the election results are null. These guys are trying to make amendments that redefine what a foreign power or state is so that it excludes other Commonwealth countries.  

Trinidad and Tobago

While the U.S. continues to issue a travel warning for Trinidad and Tobago due to crime and terrorism (it's currently under a state of emergency for this very reason), we've also been helping them strengthen their cyber defenses this week. 

Argentina

Argentine president Javier Milei made his third trip to Israel this week. He signed the Isaac Accords and praised the war in Iran as the "right thing to do."  

Argentina's Congress also approved a bill that would ease some environmental restrictions and bring in $30 billion in mining investment. Greenpeace and other environmental groups plan to sue. 

Bolivia

Bolivia's new pro-market president, Rodrigo Paz, presented his 2026 budget, slashing the projected deficit from 15% to 9% of GDP. He also continues to shrink the government and target bad state contracts (after two decades of socialism and political corruption in the country) and promise "capitalism for all."  

Brazil

In Brazil, former president Jair Bolsonaro’s team petitioned the Supreme Court for approval of shoulder surgery (rotator cuff repair). He's currently on a temporary house arrest after nearly dying in prison in March. Meanwhile, the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had surgery on Friday to remove a skin lesion from his scalp. As I'm writing this, Lula's government hasn't made a decision on Bolsonaro's health needs. 

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Chile

China has banned poultry imports from Chile due to bird flu. But we don't need China because the hemisphere is healing. Chile and Bolivia's foreign ministers met this week to begin the process of restoring relations between their two countries after over 50 years. The falling out in 1975 occurred over Bolivia's desire to have access to the Pacific Ocean. 

Colombia

I'll be so glad when Gustavo Petro is gone, because I'm about as tired as him as I am writing about Cuba. He continues to run his mouth against the United States. This week, he warned of a Latin American "rebellion" if the United States doesn't back off from the region's leaders. Funny, most of them seem super anxious to work with the U.S. these days. 

Meanwhile, the Colombian clown went to Venezuela to meet with MAGA Delcy at Miraflores Palace on Friday to talk "security." In reality, he's just trying to legitimize her as a real leader when we all know she's just doing what Trump and Rubio tell her. 

Ecuador

Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, is making some big changes to his cabinet this week, including new health and energy ministers. As he did in March, he's also setting a curfew for nine provinces for a couple of weeks in May to continue his intense crackdown on crime. I'm sure I will be writing more about that in the weeks to come.  

Guyana

This isn't exactly news out of Guyana, but I wanted to share it anyway — it's an op-ed from Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, but he makes some great points about what Trump and Rubio should do next in the Western Hemisphere. Not bad for a Middle East guy. Here's the link: The Pentagon Should Turn to Paraguay and Guyana.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is set to begin hearing oral arguments on the Venezuela-Essequibo dispute on May 4, and it's looking like it could go in Guyana's favor. 

Paraguay

Paraguay announced this week that it will begin receiving third-country migrants deported from the United States (like Costa Rica is already doing). 

Peru

Peru continues to be a political mess, and I'll admit I haven't kept up with the election news like I should this week. The latest, however, is that police raided the home of Piero Corvetto, the former head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), on Friday. He resigned earlier this week after backlash over the chaotic elections held earlier this month. 

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Suriname

I mentioned this last week, but it wrapped up this week and was apparently a huge success: "The U.S. Air Force medical personnel and Surinamese health care providers concluded a two-week health security cooperation engagement during a closing ceremony for the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2026 at Suriname’s Ministry of Health headquarters, April 23, 2026." 

What exactly is the LAMAT? "LAMAT 2026 is part of a series of U.S. Air Force-led medical engagements across Latin America and the Caribbean designed to strengthen partnerships, improve interoperability and enhance the readiness of participating forces while delivering essential care."  

Uruguay

Uruguay is actually experiencing a tourism boom that now outpaces its own population. In 2025, it saw 3.6 million visitors (it has 3.4 million people), and it's also attracting a lot of high-net-worth travelers. Numbers for 2026 look like they will be similar or even better. 

Venezuela should go here, but I'm working on a separate article about that, so I'm saving it all for that, assuming life slows down in the next few days. Also, in this moment, it's sort of a U.S. territory anyway, right? 

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Well, that's it for me. As I say, Rubio isn't handing me exclusives... yet. But if I keep this up every week, I'm not going to need them. And apparently, he's been busy doing... this. 

Have a great weekend, y'all! 

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.

Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.

Sarah Anderson

Sarah Anderson is a Georgia-based freelance writer and journalist, specializing in foreign policy, with a passion for Latin America and the Caribbean.  

When she's not writing, you can find her chasing animals on her small hobby farm, swimming every chance she gets, traveling, gardening, reading, or yelling at a Georgia Bulldogs or Atlanta Falcons football game like any good Southerner. 

You might also catch her watching State Department briefings to unwind.  

Email Sarah at SarahAndersonatPJMedia@gmail.com.

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