Episode Description
In this episode, I’m joined by Guillaume Long, former Foreign Minister of Ecuador and current Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, to discuss the ‘Monroe Doctrine’ and its role in shaping the trajectory of U.S. imperialism in Latin America. We discuss the history of this foreign policy doctrine, its evolution over the last two centuries, and why it is so important for understanding the particular shape that American imperial aggression in the Western Hemisphere has taken under the Trump Administration—especially in light of the United States’ illegal invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro in the first few days of 2026.
About the show:
Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock.
Support Return to Bandung:
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution:
Sources and helpful links:
Guillaume Long — The Trump Administration Unabashedly Embraces the Monroe Doctrine (The Nation, January 2025)
National Security Strategy of the United States of America (November 2025)
Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs — Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela (Center for Economic and Policy Research, April 2019)
Return to Bandung episode with Chris Gilbert and Cira Pascual Marquina on defending Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution (October 2025)
Return to Bandung episode with Tings Chak on China’s role in the global order (March 2025)
Hugo Chávez — Message to the CELAC summit (January 2013)
Social links:
Return to Bandung:
Twitter: twitter.com/returntobandung
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/returntobandung/
Pranay Somayajula:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/p_somayajula
Website: https://www.pranaysomayajula.com/
Substack: https://www.culture-shock.xyz/
Guillaume Long:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GuillaumeLong
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guillaume.long/