Bangladesh, Nov. 19 -- The arrival of a major US aircraft carrier strike group in the Caribbean this week has sent shockwaves across Latin America, bringing back a new version of the Monroe Doctrine in the context of the New Cold War in the Hemisphere. The deployment marks the beginning of a massive Trump administration military operation framed as a twin “war on drugs” and “war on terror” campaign in a way that, ironically enough, is also reminiscent of the George W. Bush years.

CNN Brasil reports that Caracas has mobilized thousands of Russian-supplied missiles in response.

Washingtons messaging has been sufficiently vague to allow multiple interpretations, but broad enough to justify a sweeping regional buildu...