The Monroe Doctrine Is Dying

The Monroe Doctrine Is Dying
Portrait of U.S. President James Monroe by Samuel Finley Breese Morse, circa 1819. The White House Historical Association/Public Domain
Francis P. Sempa
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Commentary
“[T]he American continents ... are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers .... [W]e should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety,” declared President James Monroe on Dec. 2, 1823. Writing in the Wall Street Journal almost two hundred years later, Walter Russell Mead—George Kennan like—warns: “From Tijuana to Tierra del Fuego, American interests are under threat as virtually every country in Latin America suffers from major and growing social, political and economic distress” and Latin America’s “ties with Russia and China are booming.” The Monroe Doctrine is dying.
Francis P. Sempa
Francis P. Sempa
Author
Francis P. Sempa is an attorney, an adjunct professor of political science at Wilkes University, and a former contributing editor to American Diplomacy. Mr. Sempais is the author of “Geopolitics: From the Cold War to the 21st Century,” “America’s Global Role: Essays and Reviews on National Security,” “Geopolitics and War, and Somewhere in France,” “Somewhere in Germany: A Combat Soldier’s Journey through the Second World War.” He has written lengthy introductions to two of Mahan’s books, and has written on historical and foreign policy topics for The Diplomat, Joint Force Quarterly, the Washington Times, The American Spectator, and other publications. He also writes a monthly column Best Defense for RealClearDefense.
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