The Monroe Doctrine and Manifest American Destiny: The Myth About Reason (2)

Published at: 12/06/2026 05:09 PM

In the previous article, research was presented on the origin and use of the Monroe Doctrine and the myth of manifest destiny; this time, we provide examples of how these ideals served as a justification for causing wars in the region.

Both ideas mutated over time to try to transform us into what they have historically called Washington's “backyard”.

For Latin Americans, these American doctrines hinder the development of international relations of sovereign respect, perpetuating an asymmetry of power. The impact of this ideological binomial was divided into three major waves of interventions and occupations in the region.

Directly driven by these myths, during the era of territorial expansion of the 19th century, they sought the direct annexation of land bordering the United States using military force and, under that expansion, they carried out missions such as:

• Invasion of Mexico between 1846 and 1848: Mexico was stripped of 55% of its territory, losing the states of California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada , Utah and part of Colorado. That war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
• War with Spain in 1898: The United States intervened in Cuba's war of independence against Spain. After the victory, he applied the Monroe Doctrine to displace European power, turning Puerto Rico into an unincorporated territory and militarily annexing Cuba under the Platt Amendment, which granted him the right to intervene in the island whenever he wanted.

Under the Monroe Doctrine, the United States carried out invasions in order to protect American companies that operated on foreign soil, so we saw their actions in the following commercial interventions:

• The banana wars and the Roosevelt Corollary between 1900 and 1930: In 1904, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt modified the Monroe Doctrine to declare that, if a Latin American country had financial or political problems, the United States had the right to intervene militarily as an international police to reorganize it and protect the interests of its companies, as happened in Guatemala with the United Fruit Company.
• Panama in 1903: The United States militarily encouraged and supported the separation of Panama from Colombia in exchange for absolute control of the area where they would build the Canal.
• Occupation of Nicaragua between 1912 and 1933: Marines disembarked and repeatedly intervened to ensure that the Nicaraguan government was akin to Washington's banking and commercial interests.
• Occupation of Haiti between 1915 and 1934 and of the Dominican Republic between 1916 and 1924: There were long direct military invasions in which they controlled with their customs, economy and public institutions under the pretext of restore order.

Later, during the Cold War, between 1945 and 1991, in the midst of the second half of the 20th century, the phrase “America for Americans” was redefined under the anti-communist lens: “America for the capitalists”, in this way, any inclination to the left or social reform in any Latin American country was seen as foreign interference by the Soviet Union; and this violated the Monroe Doctrine, thus justifying invasions and coups d'etat, such as:

• Guatemala in 1954: The International Intelligence Agency (CIA) organized and financed the overthrow of President Jacobo Árbenz after implementing an agrarian reform that affected the monopolies of the American multinational United Fruit Company.
• Cuba and the Bay of Pigs Invasion, 1961: It was a failed attempt at armed military invasion by troops financed by the CIA to overthrow Fidel Castro.
• Invasion of the Dominican Republic in 1965: Sending more than 40,000 U.S. marines to crush the constitutionalist revolution that sought to reinstate progressive president Juan Bosch.
• Chile and Operation Condor in 1973: The United States provided financial, political and intelligence support to the Henry Kissinger administration for Augusto Pinochet's coup against Salvador Allende , to establish military dictatorships throughout the Southern Cone.
• Invasion of Granada in 1983: Direct military invasion under Ronald Reagan to overthrow the revolutionary government of the Caribbean island after local political tensions.
• Panama in 1989: Military intervention through Operation Just Cause ordered by George W. Bush to capture dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, bombing civilian neighborhoods such as El Chorrillo.

The justification of the United States for invading Latin American countries is always based on a supposed moral superiority, the fulfillment of a divine design and the need to act as the continent's policeman to protect freedom and progress in the region. From a distorted perspective, they intend to present themselves to the world as older and protective brothers, causing the loss of local sovereignty in exchange for controlled stability.

It seems then that the United States does not understand that South American countries do not need anyone else to protect us, we will always defend our sovereignty.

AMELYREN BASABE/Mazo News Team