Rep. Nydia Velazquez has introduced a resolution to replace the Monroe Doctrine with a new Good Neighbor policy. House Resolution 1056 calls for “in place of the Monroe Doctrine, the Federal Government should develop a ‘New Good Neighbor’ policy, designed to foster improved relations and deepen more effective cooperation with all the countries of the Western Hemisphere.”
History of the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America
The findings of the bill include a list of two centuries of U.S. intervention in Latin America, including the 1898 annexation of Puerto Rico.
An article on the subject in History Extra Magazine points out that the Monroe Doctrine was developed before the current nations of South America existed. “When the United States first emerged, what was then known as ‘Spanish America’ was part of the Spanish empire,” the author reminds readers. “Early US leaders therefore viewed the region through the lens of imperial geopolitics rather than as a collection of future sovereign republics.”
“By 1823, around the time of the Monroe Doctrine,: they continue, “it had become clear that Spanish America was winning its wars of independence… By then, Mexico was independent, Colombia was close, and the imperial order was collapsing. At that moment, the US began to shift from dealing with a disintegrating empire to engaging with newly formed nations.”
Velazquez’s historical list of interventions begins with the Monroe Doctrine: “Over two centuries ago, President James Monroe announced that the United States Government would actively oppose any interference by European powers in the affairs of independent Latin American and Caribbean countries ‘for the purpose of oppressing them or controlling in any other manner their destiny’.” It ends with “The Trump administration’s 2025 National Security Strategy establishes a ‘Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine’ that prioritizes ‘American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, … access to key geographies throughout the region’ and the use of United States ‘military presence’ in the hemisphere for ‘establishing or expanding access in strategically important locations’.”
What’s a Good Neighbor policy?
The original Good Neighbor policy was announced in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt, who said, “In the field of world policy I would 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.”
The intention was to step away from the military interventions that had happened up to that time and to disavow the “Roosevelt Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. However, the United States continued to intervene in the affairs of other nations.
Velazquez’s new Good Neighbor policy would include these decisions, among others:
- in order to send a strong signal to the region that the United States Government wishes to turn the page on a long era of political and military interference in the region, the Department of State should formally confirm that the Monroe Doctrine is no longer a part of United States policy toward Latin American and the Caribbean
- a new approach to promoting development based on a respect for the integrity of sovereign economic development plans of the region’s governments
- terminating all unilateral economic sanctions imposed through Executive orders, and working with Congress to terminate all unilateral sanctions, such as the Cuba embargo
- establishing a policy of respect and recognition of decisions made by sovereign countries across the region
- the United States should, in every instance, respect international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the Western Hemisphere and throughout the world, and should respect international human rights law, which prohibits extrajudicial killings, including in international waters
Are there implications for Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico is not a separate nation, but a territory of the United States. Since the resolution is about international relations, it mentions Puerto Rico only in the historical section and doesn’t make any demands which would lead to the decolonization of the Island. However, it does take a position opposing colonialism. If Congress were to take this resolution seriously, it would encourage resolution of Puerto Rico’s status.
Puerto Rico’s current territorial status is not a permanent political status; the Island can become either an independent nation or a state of the Union. The current relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico is colonial. Congress must respect the will of Puerto Rico voters and admit Puerto Rico as a state. Tell your legislators that this should be a priority.
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