The Monroe Doctrine in 21st Century Great Power Competition
John Harrison, Matthew Kawas and Chase Sargeant
Introduction
“I think it [Monroe Doctrine] is as relevant today, as it was the day it was written,†Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated on February 1, 2018 in response to a reporter’s question.[1] This was a significant statement on the heels of his first trip to Latin America, and an attempt to provide a connection of long-term values between the United States and Latin America. His comment, however, roused new questions and old concerns over the Monroe Doctrine as the potential guide for the Trump administration’s policy in Latin America.
After a 20-year hiatus since the fall of the Soviet Union, the 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) and 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) identify a new great power competition as the priority security threat to the United States. Although focused on Europe with Russia, and Asia with China, this great power competition is just as applicable in Latin America where China is aggressively using the economic instrument of power. According to the World Economic Forum, since 2010, “China [has] loaned $65 billion to Venezuela in exchange for oil, $21 billion to Brazil and approximately $15 billion to both Argentina and Ecuador.â€[2] Moreover, China increased its investment in 2017 to more than one billion dollars.[3] Gone are the days of European great power colonization of Latin America; however, this heavy debt laden investment could become a more subtle form of colonization if nations cannot pay back the loans. As both Russia and China continue to invest in Latin America, it plausibly is only a matter of time before either will deem a country’s internal decisions contrary to their own national interests and use undue control to ensure their interests are protected.
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/monroe-doctrine-21st-century-great-power-competition
