This is John Batchel, a conversation with colleague Anatole Levin about the Monroe Doctrine, or the latest send-up, the Donro Doctrine.

What about it? Is it real? Was it ever supported? Was it ever not supported?

And what does it mean for the people of the Americas and to leave it on the

Monroe Doctrine, Donro Doctrine of the last 200 years more tonight.

I absolutely agree and of course what's also so striking is that previously for years and years, you know, Clinton in the 1990s

said that the Monroe Doctrine was over, you know, America no longer followed this strategy.

I don't know whether anyone really believed this, but most of the Western media, the US media, was prepared to parrot

that over and over again. You know, America isn't pursuing the Monroe Doctrine. Well, of course,

America wasn't pursuing the Monroe Doctrine then, because it didn't need to, because nobody

actually was in any way challenging the US in Latin America, you know, except.

But the way in which, you know, in a sheep-like fashion or a flock of, I don't know, what are they,

swallows changing course, you know, for years and years you had no, no, no, the US is not pursuing a sphere of

influence policy. The US is not pursuing a sphere of influence policy. Therefore, you know,

any parallel with what Russia is pursuing is completely false and evil. And now it's, yes, yes,

yes, Monroe Doctrine Good. Of course America must follow a sphere of influence policy.

Speaking as a journalist or former journalist, I do find that pretty depressing.