Lessons from a forgotten American Occupation

History, like all the liberal arts, depends on the "eye of the beholder", or, if you will, the pen of the chronicler (often, a storyteller). Let us step back a couple decades for additional perspective here. (It kind of ties in with parallel blogs on business here.) I quote from Wikipedia:

"Roosevelt's extension of the Monroe Doctrine 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. The alternative was intervention by European powers, especially Britain and Germany, which loaned money to the countries that did not repay. The catalyst of the new policy was Germany's aggressiveness in the Venezuela affair of 1902-03.

Teddy Roosevelt told Congress in 1904: All that this country desires is to see the neighboring countries stable, orderly, and prosperous. Any country whose people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship. If a nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters, if it keeps order and pays its obligations, it need fear no interference from the United States. Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power.

The average debt price for countries under the US "sphere of influence" rose by 74% in response to the pronouncement and actions to make it credible. That is, their bonds rose 74% because buyers now believed they would be repaid. The increase in financial stability reduced internal conflict because political factions could not count on winning control of the national treasury if they won a civil war. The program spurred export growth and better fiscal management, but debt settlements were driven primarily by gunboat diplomacy.

In its altered state, the Monroe Doctrine would now consider Latin America as an agency for expanding U.S. commercial interests in the region, along with its original stated purpose of keeping European hegemony from the hemisphere.

In essence, Roosevelt's Monroe Doctrine would be the basis for a use of economic and military hegemony to make the U.S. the dominant power in the Western Hemisphere. The new doctrine was a frank statement that the U.S. was willing to seek leverage over Latin American governments by acting as an international police power in the region. This announcement has been described as the policy of "speak softly but carry a big stick", and consequently launched a period of "big stick" diplomacy, in contrast with later Dollar Diplomacy."

P.S. The 'speak softly' quote was a West African proverb Teddy liked, and used when, as governor, he took on the NY State party boss, and won.

Its always amazing how radicall leftist american liberals and the "DRIVE-BY MEDIA" distorts information to their own benefits.First of all,the US invasion of nicaragua was there to create stabilitty in the country and clean up the mess between the two political parties,liberals and conservadores,and to fight the rebels in Nueva Segovia led by a bandit called Sandino ,therefor by doing that garanteed the american interes in the country.The Chamorro Brian treaty dismembered 4 islands from Nic and gave them to Colombia as part payment for the Panama Canal,These Islands were San Andres,Providence,Johnny Key and Roncador which are on the East COAST OF NICARAGUA NOT THE GOLFO DE FONSECA Corn Island and Little Corn Island are also on the east coast of Nic.

if only we could learn from history

-Doug

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate