The Return of the Monroe Doctrine? Venezuela, Ecuador, and American Foreign Policy

Nearly two centuries after President James Monroe announced a landmark foreign-policy principle in his 1823 address to Congress, the Monroe Doctrine continues to resonate and prompt debate in U.S. strategic thinking toward Latin America. Originally articulated to warn European powers against new colonial ventures in the Western Hemisphere and to assert a sphere of influence rooted in American security interests, the Doctrine helped define the United States’ role in the hemisphere throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Over time, it has been extended, reinterpreted, and invoked in a series of diplomatic and military contexts — from the Venezuelan boundary dispute under President Grover Cleveland to various interventions throughout Central America and the Caribbean. Recently, the Monroe Doctrine has reemerged at the center of discussion following U.S. operations in Venezuela earlier this year and more recently in Ecuador. Conversations debating whether these actions signal a return to an assertive interpretation of the Doctrine are taking place with questions about what implications this holds for the nature of U.S. power in the Americas. Featuring:Prof. John C. Harrison, James Madison Distinguished Professor of Law and Class of 1941 Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of LawProf. John C. Yoo, Emanuel Heller Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Public Law & Policy Program, University of California at Berkeley(Moderator) Prof. Jeremy Rabkin, Professor Emeritus of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University