President Donald Trump 's deployment of warships off the coast of Venezuela and authorization for the use of force against drug trafficking organizations is fueling speculation of potential military action looming in South America.

However, the White House's moves also speak to a broader shift in policy focus under Trump's "America First" movement that envisions the Americas as a whole as part of the U.S. zone of interest , an outlook reminiscent of the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine that served as the basis for U.S. intervention against European colonialism and communist expansion across the region.

With Venezuela and its leftist leader, President Nicolás Maduro , now in the crosshairs, experts and former officials see the dawn of a new era of U.S. power projection across the Wester

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