Latin America must forge a path toward a future where self-determination and international cooperation prevail.
Since its inception in 1823, the Monroe Doctrine has been the ideological manifestation guiding the United States’ foreign policy toward Latin America. Its intrinsic nature has served as an instrument of American expansion and domination in the region.
From the early years of the United States’ independence, the Monroe Doctrine emerged as a guiding principle. After the war against the English monarchy, the North American country adopted an expansionist approach, initially intervening in Canada and extending its influence into Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is at this point that an endless chain of interventions, military coups, and political assassinations begins, all aimed at maintaining the exploitation of Latin America.
The Monroe Doctrine, at its core, is the formalized expression of a state piracy policy: the appropriation of others’ wealth, even if it requires shedding blood to achieve it.
Over these two centuries, it has been a constant obstacle to the autonomous development of Latin America, ignoring international law and unleashing a series of imperialistic tactics aimed at ensuring American supremacy in the region.
In recent decades, we have witnessed changes in the methods used by the United States to intervene in Latin American and global politics. After the rise of state terrorism in Latin American dictatorships, euphemistically called States of National Security, Washington’s propaganda, which previously advocated for democracy and social well-being, became a tool to suppress any attempts at democratization and autonomous development in Latin America.
The transition to “color revolutions” in the 1990s marked a new phase in the application of the Monroe Doctrine. These events, like the case of Salvador Allende in Chile years before, combine popular uprisings with military tactics to change governments that do not align with American interests. Although less “spectacular” than traditional military coups, these color revolutions have proven equally effective in overthrowing independent governments.
When assessing the dangers of the Monroe Doctrine for Latin America, it is evident that its historical persistence has systematically hindered the progress and autonomous development of the region. However, the rise of China, Russia, and other countries as alternative powers has provided a new hope.
Despite lingering limitations, China, for example, offers a different option for Latin America in terms of trade and development, providing an alternative to the continent’s historical dependence on American colonialism.
Regarding the indirect effects of the Monroe Doctrine on the world, it is crucial to highlight how it has stifled strategic alternatives for liberation, particularly socialism.
The global expansion of liberal democracy ideology has legitimized U.S. domination over other countries and weakened resistance through effective ideological control. This “lobotomization” of the masses has led to the acceptance of an international order favoring imperialist countries.
Looking to the future of the American interventionist and expansionist tool, the continuation of Washington’s efforts to destroy any attempts at social democratic development in Latin America seems inevitable.
The restoration of Washington’s control over the region appears inevitable, except perhaps for countries like Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba, which resist.
The struggle against the Monroe Doctrine will depend on a massive awareness campaign in Latin America, supported by strong collaboration with China, Russia, and other centers of global power challenging the usual unilateralism of Washington and its allies.
China’s proposal to establish international relations centered on cooperation is the only viable alternative. The future of the Monroe Doctrine will hinge on its continuation or extinction, depending on the results of the struggle between imperialism and the openness proposed by emerging powers, confirming whether this doctrine is limited to the Western Hemisphere or persists as a global threat.
In an ever-evolving world, it is imperative that Latin America seeks and consolidates alliances and partnerships that promote its autonomous development and liberation from the historical chains imposed by the Monroe Doctrine.
In this challenge, the region must look beyond the shadows of the Monroe Doctrine and forge a path toward a future where self-determination and international cooperation prevail over persistent imperialism.