The part below is from the US Senate hearing. The reason why we are here now according to the US lawmaker, is a strict application of the 'Monroe doctrine' by the USA, and a complete refusal by the USA for other countries to defend their sphere of influence in the same way the USA has been doing for the last 200 years. Quite a reasonable take on the events preceding the military operation. Don't agree with some colourful language.
US Senate
[Thursday, February 10, 2022]
"Vladimir Putin may be a liar and a demagogue, but it is hypocritical for the United States to insist that we as a nation do not accept the principle of spheres of influence. For the last 200 years, our country has operated under the Monroe Doctrine, embracing the principle that as the dominant power in the Western Hemisphere, the United States has the right--according to the United States--to intervene against any country that might threaten our alleged interests. That is U.S. policy. And under this doctrine, the United States has undermined and overthrown at least a dozen countries throughout Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
So, again, these concerns were not just invented yesterday by Putin out of thin air. To put it simply, even if Russia were not ruled by a corrupt, oligarchic, authoritarian leader like Vladimir Putin, Russia, like the United States, would still have an interest in the security policies of its neighbours. I want people to think about this: Does anyone really believe that the United States would not have something to say, if, for example, Mexico or Cuba or any country in Central or Latin America were to form a military alliance with a U.S. adversary? Do you think that Members of Congress would stand up and say, ``Well, you know, Mexico is an independent country. They have the right to do anything they want''? I doubt that very much."
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