---
title: "The Donroe Times: Redi Tlhabi and Tony Karon on America’s return to gunboat diplomacy"
description: "In this episode, Redi Tlhabi is joined by journalist and editor Tony Karon to interrogate what Washington calls a “limited military operation” in Venezuela and what critics have described as a kidnapping of a sovereign president in the name of oil. From the revival of the Monroe Doctrine as a modern-day “Donroe Doctrine”, the idea that all of the Americas fall under US dominion, to the long history of regime change from Iran and Chile to Africa and the Middle East, the episode asks a stark question: is the United States openly returning to an era of imperial, extractive foreign policy?"
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "THE READINESS REPORT"
author: "Redi Tlhabi"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/redi-tlhabi/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-07-the-donroe-times-redi-tlhabi-and-tony-katony-karon-on-americas-return-to-gunboat/"
published: "2026-01-07T12:13:51"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 98
---

# The Donroe Times: Redi Tlhabi and Tony Karon on America’s return to gunboat diplomacy

> In this episode, Redi Tlhabi is joined by journalist and editor Tony Karon to interrogate what Washington calls a “limited military operation” in Venezuela and what critics have described as a kidnapping of a sovereign president in the name of oil. From the revival of the Monroe Doctrine as a modern-day “Donroe Doctrine”, the idea that all of the Americas fall under US dominion, to the long history of regime change from Iran and Chile to Africa and the Middle East, the episode asks a stark question: is the United States openly returning to an era of imperial, extractive foreign policy?

By Redi Tlhabi · Published 7 January 2026, 14:13 SAST

## Content

[YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux_H7v1o4JY)

This episode was made possible thanks to The [Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom](https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa).

![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/xfGUULIHbGJUQm6h3Xsw7muUaLM=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2986/FNF_Englisch_Farbe_Screen_362244.jpg)

**Hosted by** Redi Tlhabi**Guest**Tony Karon**Edited by**Joel Seboa**Produced by** Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa**Original Theme Music & Design by**Bernard Kotze

Additional reading:

- [SA political parties divided on US military action in Venezuela](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-06-sa-political-parties-divided-on-us-military-action-in-venezuela/)
- [Trump escalates threats to take Greenland after mixed global response to Venezuela](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-05-trump-escalates-threats-to-take-greenlangreenland-after-mixed-global-response-to/)
- [Trump's seizure of Venezuela signals a shift from a rules-based order to open imperialism](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2026-01-06-trumps-seizure-of-venezuela-signals-a-sh-a-shift-from-a-rulesbased-order-to-open/)

You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spotify!
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