Representatives in Congress of Cuban-American descent are defending the Monroe Doctrine, the 200-year-old policy that treats all foreign intervention in the Western Hemisphere as hostile.
This week, Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) introduced a resolution for the State Department to terminate the policy developed by the fifth United States President, James Monroe, in 1823.
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“The 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine presents the U.S. and the hemisphere with a chance to move past an outdated and ineffective foreign policy strategy,” said Velázquez.
Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) have spoken out against the Democrat’s effort, insisting that the policy is essential to stability in the hemisphere.
“The Monroe Doctrine is one of the most important foreign policy strategies the United States has ever developed. Today, threats to our security and liberty no longer come from London, Paris or Madrid, but from Beijing, Moscow and Tehran,” Salazar told Fox News Digital.
Salazar has strongly advocated the Monroe Doctrine, saying it is “more important than ever” with the influences of China, Russia, and Iran.
Last month, she introduced a bill to strengthen the doctrine as foreign policy since the end of the Cold War has emphasized Eastern Hemispheric priorities.
Gimenez, one of the bill’s original co-sponsors, told the news outlet that the policy is personal to him.
“I lost my native homeland of Cuba to a brutal communist dictatorship that continues to oppress the Cuban people and exports socialist terrorism across the region,” said Gimenez.
Reps. Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Greg Casar (D-TX), Jesus Garcia (D-IL), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have cosponsored the resolution calling for an end to the policy.
“U.S. foreign policy has too often contributed to instability in Latin America,” said Casar. “Instead of toppling duly-elected governments, we can support democracy, grow our economies, and reduce forced migration. Instead of sanctions that starve our neighbors, we can work together to solve the climate crisis.”
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The progressive resolution calls for the State Department to develop a “New Good Neighbor” policy that prioritizes collaboration and supports democratic reforms to international financial institutions.
The resolution also demands the declassification of all U.S. archives that document American involvement in “past coups d’états, dictatorships, and periods in the history of Latin American and Caribbean countries characterized by a high rate of human rights crimes.
