Isolationism, internationalism and the Monroe Doctrine

Abstract

The Monroe Doctrine had been a pillar of US foreign policy in the nineteenth century, but its importance in the twentieth century is disputed. On the one hand, it laid the grounds for American expansion in the Western Hemisphere and, on the other, it provided a framework of reciprocal non-interference in transatlantic relations. Therefore, a reconsideration of its impact is relevant to the discussion of the tension between internationalism and isolationism. An assessment of the relevance of the Monroe Doctrine in twentieth-century US diplomacy must take into account that (i) it outlined a space-based, regionalist view of world affairs and (ii) it expressed widespread notions of American culture, history, and national identity.