Understand US Foreign Policy in Five Doctrines: 1. The Monroe Doctrine
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Jan 19, 2026 Jay Sexton, historian and Kinder Institute director who studies the Monroe Doctrine and 19th-century America, unpacks the doctrine’s origins in the Atlantic revolutions. He traces its evolution from a limited anti‑European pledge to a flexible political symbol, its transformation under Theodore Roosevelt, and how modern leaders revive Monroe-era rhetoric for contemporary posturing.
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Monroe's Original Message Was Narrow
- The Monroe message in 1823 was a narrow prohibition on European intervention in the Western Hemisphere.
- James Monroe's speech said nothing explicit about US actions, leaving its meaning open to later reuse.
Vagueness Gave The Doctrine Long Reach
- The Monroe Doctrine's vagueness made it highly reusable and symbolic in US politics.
- Presidents have reimagined it to justify wildly different policies across centuries.
Roosevelt Turned It Into Regional Policing
- Theodore Roosevelt recast the Monroe Doctrine to justify US intervention as a regional policeman.
- That corollary turned a prohibition on European action into a rationale for American preemptive interventions.