The Monroe Doctrine: Empire and Nation in Nineteenth-Century America

Few other pieces of American foreign policy have been subjected to as many far-ranging interpretations as the infamous Monroe Doctrine. Amidst fears of European colonization of newly independent Spanish American nations and in an effort to further unify the nascent United States, President Monroe declared in 1823 that attempts at colonization in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as threats to the U.S. While Monroe's message to European nations was clear, his pronouncement failed to address the bounds of American imperialism. Over the years, this "open-ended" Doctrine would succumb to myriad political agendas as presidents and statesmen alike endeavored to solidify America's position as a world superpower. Sexton (Debtor Diplomacy) surveys the "never-ending building project" of the Doctrine in an effort to understand how the United States managed to espouse both anti-colonialism and imperialism under the auspices of a single piece of diplomacy. At once lucid and probing, his revealing investigation is apropos at a time when current American foreign policy is subjected to international criticism%E2%80%94a must-read for current affairs and history buffs alike. (Mar.)