The White House released a 33-page official document redefining the United States National Security Strategy for the Western Hemisphere, in which a key part appears: the “Trump conclusion of the Monroe Doctrine”an update that is looking regain American supremacy in Latin America in the face of the advance of China, Russia and other extra-hemispheric actors. According to the Republican administration, this geopolitical reshaping will be crucial for the coming decades and is supported by two verbs that run through the entire text: “acquire and expand“.
Given this criterion, the United States plans to deepen its alliances with governments it already considers reliable, expand its influence where it finds gaps, and Ensuring the management of strategic natural resourceswhich, in addition to its sustainable global orientation, represents it as essential to the technological, energy and military development of the 21st century.
In this way, the historical reference functions as a conceptual framework: the Monroe DoctrineProclaimed in 1823 by James Monroe with the well-known motto “America for Americans”tried to prevent new European incursions and block any attempt at recolonization. From 1904 Theodore Roosevelt added a corollary that made it possible direct interventions of the United States in Latin American countries under the argument of “stabilizing” states that “threaten” their interests.
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The new initiative resumes this interventionist spirit with a more explicit formula. Starting on page 16 it says: “The United States will reaffirm and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American supremacy in the Western Hemisphere (…). We will reject competitors outside the hemisphere lthe ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to possess or control strategically important assets in our hemisphere.” Although the powers are not named, the list is familiar: China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, in addition to Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
There, in the same section, the document states that the United States “must rethink its military presence” in the region and proposes a change in defense policy. Explain what the new scenario requires greater deployment, better control and greater operational capacity. And he summarizes it in four lines of action:
–Global military realignment. Washington will shift resources from areas it deems lower priority to the Western Hemisphere, which it portrays as a “critical front for its security.”
–Increased Navy and Coast Guard presence. There will be more operations to secure sea routes, stop irregular migration, curb human and drug trafficking and control strategic corridors in times of tension.
–Selective operations against cartels. The document proposes to strengthen the border and combat criminal organizations with the possibility use lethal forceThis left behind the strategy that focused only on law enforcement.
–Expanded military access. The United States will seek to open or consolidate facilities at strategic points.
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It also includes an economic approach: it says that increasing American influence depends on its ability to do so compete with China in terms of investment, infrastructure, technology and energy.
What the term “enlist” means in US security policy
The official United States National Security Strategy document includes the “recruit and expand” binomial as the axis of the new geopolitical design that the White House wants to impose on the Western Hemisphere. There he claims that the country needs Fstrengthens its position against the advance of extrahemispheric actors and combines two lines of action for this purpose: Rebuild your network of allies And You organize strategic resource management that will be crucial.
According to this scheme “win” It acts as the first movement and defines how the United States wants to reshape its political, economic and security influence in the region. The concept ranges from Relations with Allied Governments until Type of tasks you expect that these countries adopt within their power architecture.
The document describes four central ideas:
–“We will make friends who are already established in the hemisphere” to control migration, stop drug flows and strengthen stability and security both on land and at sea. This is the basis for the operational framework that Washington wants to rebuild in the region.
–“Cultivate and strengthen new partners”while strengthening American appeal preferred economic and security partner. The White House is trying to expand its sphere of influence and reclaim spaces disputed by China and Russia through investments, trade deals and military cooperation.
– According to the document, these countries should do this Stop illegal and destabilizing migrationneutralize cartels, Bring manufacturing closer together and develop local private industries. In other words, allies are expected to directly support the US strategy to curb cross-border crime, organize supply chains and promote the relocation of industries.
–“We will reward and encourage” to governments, parties and movements consistent with American principles and its strategic roadmap. At the same time, the White House makes clear that it will not exclude governments with different visions, as long as they share common interests and express a willingness to work together. This point is intended to prevent non-aligned countries from moving into the sphere of influence of China or Russia.
What the term “expansion” means in US security policy
After detailing the concept of “recruitment,” the National Security Strategy presents the second pillar that structures the geopolitical perspective of the Republican administration: “expand”. This axis explains how it is intended expand its political, economic and military presence in Latin America, at a time when China, Russia and Iran were consolidating positions that Washington considers risky to its security.
There, on pages 18 and 19 of the document, the White House describes an approach that combines diplomacy, strategic competition and direct intervention in critical sectors. The idea of “expansion” aims to rebuild one guide that, according to the document itself, the United States “have been allowed to erode in recent decades“.
The central points of the concept are:
–Deepen what is there and add what is missing. The United States will seek to strengthen alliances it believes are reliable while forging new partnerships in countries where it sees gaps or progress with extra-hemispheric actors. The aim is for Washington to be perceived as a “preferred partner” compared to alternatives.
–Natural resources under allied supervision. The text highlights that the Western Hemisphere has important minerals, energy, sea routes and technology centers essential for the 21st century. The US wants to “expand”. Ensuring the development of these resources together with the relevant governmentsto prevent rival powers from gaining control of “strategic assets.”
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–Direct reaction to external influences. The document acknowledges that global competitors have made “important” progress in the region and describes this situation as “a strategic mistake” by US policy. For this reason, he proposes a course correction: reversing this presence and restoring dominance throughout Latin America.
–Commercial advantage for American companies. The strategy stipulates that agreements with countries in the region must be converted into exclusive contracts for companies in the USA. In addition, he claims that the White House must do “everything possible” to exclude foreign companies – mainly Chinese – from key infrastructure projects, from energy and lithium to telecommunications and ports.
–Technological and digital competence. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in this section, the text suggests that the expansion also includes fiber optic networks, cybersecurity, 5G systems and sensitive equipment, areas where Washington is trying to curb Chinese presence and promote American suppliers.
–Regional leadership as a condition of internal security. The White House emphasizes that dominance in the Western Hemisphere is not just a diplomatic goal, but a prerequisite for the country’s own economic prosperity, internal stability and global strategy against powers that dispute influence.
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