While not as popular with the Democratic Party as it once may have been, the Monroe Doctrine has been a pillar of American foreign policy since the Era of Good Feeling following James Madison’s departure from the presidency. Devised by then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams during the presidency of James Monroe, this doctrine of U.S. policy in the Americas has endured, even if modified over time. Monroe and Adams viewed the potential for renewed European influence among the emerging countries of the western hemisphere as a threat to the security of the United States.
Today, in 2009, a European power may act in Latin America, potentially threatening the security interests of the United States; Russia is considering the use of military facilities in Venezuela and Cuba for its navy.
The President of the United States should use the goodwill he has in the world to prevent this aspect of the recent Russian resurgence from materializing. President Luis Ignacio “Lula” da Silva of Brazil has met with President Obama, and expressed a willingness to work with both the United States and states unfriendly to U.S. interests in Latin America.
Since the current President of Brazil is on good terms with leftward leaders of the region, he could be an asset to Washington in maintaining order and preventing a Russian power grab in Latin America. While disputes exist between Brazil and the United States at the present juncture, the overtures made by the man popularly known in Brazil as Lula should be utilized in the defense of perhaps the oldest of principles governing the foreign policy of the United States. Indeed, the last time Moscow significantly involved its military capability in Latin America, the situation nearly deteriorated towards nuclear war. President Obama should act now to prevent such a possibility from once more manifesting itself.
Last 5 posts by James Kane
- Politics of Process and Policy - March 17th, 2010
- Obama's Accidental Case Against Reconciliation and the Senate Bill - March 10th, 2010
- On "Real" Diversity and Thinking Critically - March 1st, 2010
- Analyzing the Blair House discourse - February 27th, 2010
- Scott Brown, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Change - January 27th, 2010
