Bush Revisits the Monroe Doctrine

In Sundays New York Times in the Week in Review section there was an article discussing the similarities of Bush’s recent inaugural speech to Theodore Roosevelt’s speech given on December 4, 1904. Wolfe provides a brief history of the Monroe Doctrine while also taking note of US intervention in Latin America throughout the 20th century, most notably George Kennan’s outcry of the popularity of communism in Latin America in 1950s. The article then goes on to suggest that the only thing which has changed since Teddy Roosevelt gave a similar speech 100 years ago, is that the Monroe Doctrine no longer pertains to the Western Hemisphere, but the globe. Now it is America’s duty to not only protect Latin America from communism and oppression (never mind all of the brutal military regimes the US funded) but to bring “salvation to all mankind.” Are the notions of the Monroe Doctrine expanding world wide? Will the notion of the western hemisphere decline as the world continues to shrink due to the internet, technological advances, transportation and long-range jet aircrafts? Also, I apologize for not having the link; I read it in the paper. However, I’m sure you can find the article if you’re interested if you search the New York Times website for “The Doctrine that Never Died” by Tom Wolfe.