In the face of US President Donald Trump’s new predatory policy in South America, can France count on its presence in French Guiana to exert influence on the continent? France will need far more robust resources if it hopes to establish itself as “a key regional player,” according to a mission report by the Sénat’s foreign affairs, defense and armed forces committee, published on Wednesday, January 7.

Beyond Venezuela, the US president has not stated any ambitions for the Guiana Shield, which also covers Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. However, Trump’s renewed interest in the Monroe Doctrine (used to justify the United States’ dominance in the hemisphere) and the rise of new oil-producing neighbors with vast reserves – Guyana and Suriname – has the potential to destabilize the French territory.

After the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by US special forces in the early hours of January 3, and the White House’s threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, “we are extremely concerned,” said Cédric Perrin, the Les Républicains (LR) president of the Sénat committee. “What forces do we have at our disposal to maintain our presence? If the Americans’ Monroe Doctrine expands tomorrow, anything is possible.”

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