The Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny

[Hum Dinger]

Manifest destiny is moot - we've expanded as far west as possible.

The Monroe doctrine should be moot, but as soon as we have a conservative in the White House, we'll start imperialistic policies in Latin America again.

The real issue, in the future, regarding the security of the Western Hemisphere is the issue of Russian/Canadian relations. Given the shrinking Arctic Ice Cap, there's going to be a new Russian/Canadian economic zone in the arctic. History tells us that whenever there's economic relations between 2 adjacent countries, war soon follows.

 

[Contumacious]

Given the current proposal to significantly downsize our military to pre WWII levels, it might be wise to consider the following concepts of our history and what we expect our military to do.

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Repeal the Monroe Doctrine

By Ron Holland

September 13, 2012

Thus, what began as a moral opposition to colonialism in the western hemisphere was later turned into a justification of intervention, invasion and occupation against many peoples ranging from the occupation, control and annexation of Hawaii to the Spanish-American War, the incorporation of the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Cuba into a new American empire. More importantly, it was used as well for US military action to remove the province of Panama from Colombia in order to secure and rule the territory needed for the Panama Canal.

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[Kondor3]

Keep the Monroe Doctrine.

Retire Manifest Destiny.

 

[JakeStarkey]

I agree, Kondor.

We cannot let a narco-terrorist threat in Mexico destabilize our relations and its oil flow to our country.

My wife has thought for twenty years that the US should invade the northern oil producing states and put them under a US protectorate.

Problem with that is we will have the narco-terrorists posing as freedom for Mexico Unido!

 

[Samson]

I agree, Kondor.

We cannot let a narco-terrorist threat in Mexico destabilize our relations and its oil flow to our country.

My wife has thought for twenty years that the US should invade the northern oil producing states and put them under a US protectorate.

Problem with that is we will have the narco-terrorists posing as freedom for Mexico Unido!

The other problem is there are no "northern oil producing states" in Mexico

 

[Samson]

......History tells us that whenever there's economic relations between 2 adjacent countries, war soon follows.

Perhaps we should boycott Canada and Mexico before it is too late.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

The concept of Manifest Destiny has NOT been supported by either Democrats and Republicans since gawd knows when. It's been a long time.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Where you get this "These concepts are sometimes pointed to now as precedent and justification for American intervention in various politics and situations around the world whether to protect American interests or for humanitarian reasons." is beyond me.

It is sophomoric and ridiculous

 

[JakeStarkey]

I agree, Kondor.

We cannot let a narco-terrorist threat in Mexico destabilize our relations and its oil flow to our country.

My wife has thought for twenty years that the US should invade the northern oil producing states and put them under a US protectorate.

Problem with that is we will have the narco-terrorists posing as freedom for Mexico Unido!

The other problem is there are no "northern oil producing states" in Mexico

I stand corrected: substitute northeastern and eastern oil producing areas.

 

[Vandalshandle]

I kind of miss the Monroe Doctrine. We haven't invaded a Latin American country since Granada (or was it Panama?). The military is getting soft. They are not going to be up to the next challenge to our national security. What are we going to do if Belize decides to attack us?

 

[TemplarKormac]

We need a "non-aggression" doctrine. Where we only attack if attacked first. If not, we stay put. We need to exit the UN; perhaps dissolve it, and stop committing our troops to conflicts which don't concern us (a sort of reverse Manifest Destiny). Gene Roddenberry (the man who created Star Trek) fashioned the fictional United Federation of Planets to be an institution which didn't interfere with the cultural development of an alien species, or followed what was otherwise known as "The Prime Directive."

Perhaps the US should adopt something similar. At any rate, the Monroe Doctrine should be retired. Given that the US and Britain are now allies and major world powers, it serves only as a relic of an antiquated past. I also think the Manifest Destiny is being taken and used out of its original context. Given that the West has already been settled, it needs to be repealed or amended.

 

[Hum Dinger]

......History tells us that whenever there's economic relations between 2 adjacent countries, war soon follows.

Perhaps we should boycott Canada and Mexico before it is too late.

We've already had our wars with Canada and Mexico.

 

[Foxfyre]

Probably we all can emotionally agree that we would like for the USA to butt out of everybody else's business and just stay home and fix our own problems.

But in practice, I wonder if that is what we really want?

Currently are not engaged in hostilities, even of a cold war nature, with any North or South American countries except Cuba. We continue trade sanctions against that tiny country even as we continue to maintain a substantial military base on that island. We do not interfere, however, with Cuba's trade with any other nations except that we did not allow Russia to install nuclear missiles on Cuba.

Does anybody remember WHY we have a trade embargo with Cuba and disallow any imports from there and allow only humanitarian exports (food and medicine) from here to there? It is purely because Cuba is a communist country with serious human rights issues and it refuses to democratize.

The Cuban embargo is enforced mainly with six statutes: the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Cuba Assets Control Regulations of 1963, the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Helms–Burton Act of 1996, and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. And there doesn't seem to be any serious efforts from anybody in the current Congress or Administration to relax the embargo and Americans of Cuban origins don't want to relax them.

How does something like that play into our views of the Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny?