United States-Latin American

Foreign Policy

United States-Latin American

Foreign Policy

1900-19401900-1940

Foreign Policy 101Foreign Policy 101• Foreign policy is defined as the diplomatic

policy of a nation in its interactions with other nations.

• The diplomatic history of the United States oscillated among three positions:

1. isolation from diplomatic entanglements of other (typically European) nations (but with economic connections to the world);

2. alliances with European and other military partners; and

3. unilateralism, or operating on its own sovereign policy decisions

Foreign Policy 101Foreign Policy 101• The executive branch of the U.S. government is

the primary agent of foreign policy.• However, Article I gives Congress the authority

to regulate foreign commerce (i.e. tariffs)• Article II of the Constitution gives the president

the authority to make treaties (with the consent of Senate) and to appoint & receive (recognize) ambassadors

• The president is advised by:– Secretary of State (State Department) – National Security Council (NSC) est.1947– Joint Chiefs of Staff (Pentagon)

Developing U.S. Foreign Policy

Developing U.S. Foreign Policy

Monroe Doctrine 1823 Monroe Doctrine 1823

• Announced at James Monroe’s State of the Union Address. – European powers were no longer to colonize or

interfere with the affairs of the newly independent states of the Americas

– The U.S. would not interfere with existing colonies or their dependencies in the Western Hemisphere.

– However, any attempt by a European nation to oppress or control any nation in the western hemisphere would be seen as an act of aggression and the U.S. would intervene.

Monroe Doctrine Monroe Doctrine

• The doctrine's authors, chiefly future-President and then secretary-of-state John Quincy Adams, saw it as a proclamation by the U.S. of moral opposition to colonialism.

• The doctrine has been interpreted different ways by different presidents, especially Theodore Roosevelt (TR)

• The doctrine has been the foundation of U.S. foreign policy since its proclamation in1823.

Gunboat DiplomacyGunboat Diplomacy• Gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of

foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power—implying a threat of warfare, should terms not be agreeable to the superior force. Ex. Theodore Roosevelt: Support for Panamanian separatists 1903-1904, Great White Fleet 1907

Dollar DiplomacyDollar Diplomacy• Dollar diplomacy is term used to describe the

efforts of the United States, particularly under President William Howard Taft, to further its foreign policy aims in Latin America through use of its economic power by guaranteeing loans made to foreign countries. – The term was originally coined by President Taft, who

claimed that U.S. operations in Latin America went from "warlike and political" to "peaceful and economic".

– The term is also used historically by Latin Americans to show their disapproval of the role that the U.S. government and U.S. corporations have played in using economic, diplomatic and military power to open up foreign markets. Ex. Honduras 1909, Nicaragua 1912

Moral DiplomacyMoral Diplomacy

• Moral diplomacy refers to the foreign policy of Woodrow Wilson "The force of America is the force of moral principle.“

• Wilson's goals were to condemn imperialism, spread democracy, and promote peace.

• Side tracked by the First World War

NeocolonialismNeocolonialism• Neocolonialism (1880-

1930) is an informal “colonization” in which Latin American countries, though independent, experienced occasional military intervention and overpowering economic and cultural influence from Great Britain, France, and the U.S. Paternalism

U.S.-Latin American Policy1900-1940

U.S.-Latin American Policy1900-1940

Guiding QuestionsGuiding Questions

• Describe the evolution of U.S.-Latin American policy from the Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt

• Compare and contrast gunboat diplomacy and dollar diplomacy

• To what extent are neocolonialism, imperialism, and paternalism related

Pan-American ConferencePan-American Conference

• The Conferences of American States, commonly referred to as the Pan-American Conferences, is established as an international organization for cooperation on trade and other issues. It was first introduced by James G. Blaine of Maine in order to establish closer ties between the United States and its southern neighbors.

The Platt Amendment 1901The Platt Amendment 1901• Over turned the Teller Amendment. Stipulated

the conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops remaining in Cuba since the Spanish-American War, and defined the terms of Cuban-U.S. relations until the 1934 Treaty of Relations. – Cuba would not transfer Cuban land to any power

other than the United States, – Cuba would contract no foreign debt without

guarantees that the interest could be served from ordinary revenues,

– ensured U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs when the United States deemed necessary,

– prohibited Cuba from negotiating treaties with any country other than the United States

Roosevelt Corollary Roosevelt Corollary • The Roosevelt Corollary was a substantial

amendment to the Monroe Doctrine by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. Roosevelt's corollary asserted:– the right of the United States to intervene to stabilize

the economic affairs of small nations in the Caribbean and Central America if they were unable to pay their international debts.

– Interventions:• Cuba (1906-1910),• Nicaragua (1909-1911,1912-1925 & 1926-1933),• Haiti (1915-1934)• Dominican Republic (1916-1924)

Hoover’s Good Neighbor Policy

Hoover’s Good Neighbor Policy

• Policy term coined by President Herbert Hoover on a goodwill trip to Latin America soon after his election in 1928. In Honduras, he announced– "We have a desire to maintain not only the cordial

relations of governments with each other, but also the relations of good neighbors."

• The intention was to mend relations with Latin American countries after they criticized The Coolidge Administration during the Sixth Pan-American Conference in Havana in 1928 for armed interventions in Haiti and Nicaragua. U.S. relations with Latin America were at an all-time low.

The Clark MemorandumThe Clark Memorandum• The Clark Memorandum of the Monroe Doctrine

was announced 1930 by Hoover (originally drafted in 1928)– Rejects the notion that the Roosevelt Corollary is part

of the Monroe Doctrine– Asserts that the U.S. has an interest in Latin America

for the purpose of self-preservation– Asserted the primary purpose of the Doctrine was to

protect Latin American nations from intervention by European powers, not to victimize or oppress Latin American nations

• The Clark Memo was the foundation of Hoover’s Good Neighbor Policy

FDR’s Good Neighbor PolicyFDR’s Good Neighbor Policy• In President Franklin Roosevelt's inaugural

address, he also promised to improve relations with Latin America by stating:– "In the field of world policy, I dedicate this nation to

the policy of the good neighbor — the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others."

• FDR’s Sec. of State, Cordell Hull– Sought to ensure non-hostile neighbors south of the

border and

– secure Latin American cooperation in the war effort by maintaining the flow of petroleum & raw materials.

FDR’s Good Neighbor PolicyFDR’s Good Neighbor Policy• Under Hulls stewardship:

– Low tariffs improved the economies of the Latin American countries that had been hurt by the Hawley-Smoot Tariff of 1930, especially for Cuban sugar.

– Hull convened the Seventh Montevideo-Pan-American Conference in 1933 in Uruguay, where he committed to a policy of non-intervention into the affairs of Latin American countries. As evidence of his commitment, U.S. Marines were removed from Haiti in 1934 and Congress signed a treaty with Cuba nullifying the Platt Amendment

FDR’s Good Neighbor PolicyFDR’s Good Neighbor Policy• Under Hulls stewardship:

– Conference for the Maintenance of Peace in Buenos Aires in 1936, the American nations agreed to mutual consultation on security threats to any of the nations within the hemisphere.

– Eighth Pan-American Conference, held in Lima, Hull managed to obtain a resolution reasserting a united front against possible Axis aggression.

– Panama Canal Treaty re-negotiated in 1936.

– The U.S. restrained from intervening when Mexico expropriated foreign oil companies in 1938, an amicable settlement was arranged.

FDR’s Good Neighbor PolicyFDR’s Good Neighbor Policy• Post War:

– Great strides had been made to improve relations with Latin America during WW II so that after the war's end, the U.S. was able to persuade Latin American countries to join the Organization of American States (OAS), a regional organization under the United Nations (largely controlled by the U.S.)

– The Good Neighbor Policy and the Pan-American "war propaganda" were further abandoned when the United States ignored free trade overtures and viewed Latin America merely as a supplier of raw materials and tropical foodstuffs.