Legal Definitions - Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine is a foundational foreign policy principle of the United States, first articulated by President James Monroe in 1823. It asserts that the United States will not tolerate intervention, colonization, or attempts at political domination by non-American nations in the Western Hemisphere, which includes North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean. Essentially, it declared the Americas off-limits for further European expansion and interference, aiming to protect the independence of newly formed Latin American republics and safeguard U.S. security interests. While highly influential in U.S. foreign policy for over a century, it is considered a unilateral U.S. policy rather than a formal rule of international law.

Here are some examples illustrating the Monroe Doctrine:

• Imagine in the late 19th century, a European empire, facing resource shortages, attempts to establish a new agricultural colony in a sparsely populated region of South America, claiming the land as its own and sending settlers and administrators.

  This scenario directly illustrates the Monroe Doctrine because it involves a non-American nation attempting to establish a new colonial presence and exert domination over territory in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. would likely invoke the doctrine to oppose such an action, viewing it as a violation of its stated policy against further European colonization in the Americas.

• Consider a situation in the early 20th century where a major European power sends warships and troops to a Caribbean island nation to forcibly collect debts owed by its government, threatening to occupy its customs houses and control its finances indefinitely.

  This example demonstrates the Monroe Doctrine's application against foreign intervention. The European power's actions constitute an attempt at political and economic domination, infringing upon the sovereignty of a Western Hemisphere nation. The U.S. would likely protest and potentially intervene itself, citing the Monroe Doctrine as the basis for preventing such external interference in the region.

• Suppose a powerful non-American nation, in the mid-20th century, began actively funding and arming a specific political faction in a Central American civil war, with the clear intention of installing a government friendly to its own global interests and establishing a long-term military presence in the country.

  This situation exemplifies the broader spirit of the Monroe Doctrine. While not direct colonization, the extensive foreign interference and attempt to establish a dominant political and military influence by a non-American power in the Western Hemisphere would be seen by the United States as a direct challenge to its foundational policy of preventing external domination in the region.