Greg Ip

Countries and economies that depend on natural resources on the whole are not doing that well.

Where is American wealth coming from?

Just look at the stock market in the last year.

It's technology, technology, technology.

Where is the competition for preeminence and technology coming from?

Not from Venezuela.

It's coming from China.

And so I think to the extent that this doctrine shifts the locus of American attention away from some of our really, really big challenges and our bigger adversaries and potentially invites conflict with our allies and people that we should not be in conflict with, then it has the potential, and I underline the word potential, to be detrimental in the long run.

Yes, there is certainly a legal and moral case that the United States, by going to Venezuela, weakens its ability to argue against what Russia is doing in Ukraine.

But I think you need to ask, does that matter?

In the sweep of history and today, it's not obvious that they actually define or determine how other countries behave.

Well, you know, you've heard Marco Rubio say that Cuba needs to watch its back.

Me, I'm a fan of listening to what Trump actually says.

He's talked about Panama.

He's talked a lot about Greenland, including talking about it more and more over the last few days.

Just last month, he appointed an envoy to Greenland for the first time ever.

And then Denmark certainly saw that as a hostile act.

So that's where I would watch most closely.

It does feel like a pivotal moment.

And here we are just a few days after the Venezuela operation.