The administration of US President Donald Trump published a renewed US National Security Strategy (NSS) in late 2025, in which the "Monroe" doctrine was mentioned again for the first time in many years, signaling a renewed focus on US dominance in the Western Hemisphere, as well as on a more aggressive, even interventionist policy in South America, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The "Monroe" doctrine was first formulated in 1823 by US President James Monroe in his annual address to Congress, the agency said. At that time, Latin America was gripped by independence movements, and European powers still harbored colonial ambitions.
The main points of the "Monroe" Doctrine were that:
1. The United States would not interfere in the internal affairs of European countries or in wars between European powers.
2. The United States would not interfere in existing European colonies in the Western Hemisphere.
3. The establishment of new European colonies in the Western Hemisphere would not be allowed.
4. Any European intervention in the politics of the countries of North and South America would be considered a hostile act against the security of the United States.
This doctrine established a clear division between the "Old World" and the "New World" and although the United States initially lacked the military power to enforce it, the principle became one of the foundations of American foreign policy, Reuters notes. Over time, the doctrine was rethought and expanded - most notably by President Theodore Roosevelt through the so-called "Roosevelt Amendment" of 1904, which affirmed the right of the United States to act as a kind of "international police force" in the Western Hemisphere to prevent European intervention and protect stability.
The Trump administration's new national security strategy explicitly refers to the "Monroe" doctrine and presents a modernized version of it, writes the Associated Press. According to the official document, the US will "affirm and implement the "Monroe Doctrine" to restore American primacy in the Western Hemisphere" and deny "non-hemisphere competitors the ability to deploy forces or other threatening capabilities" in the region. The strategy identifies the Western Hemisphere as a top priority for US national interests, focusing on controlling migration, curbing drug trafficking and strengthening regional partnerships, as well as countering external influences.
The new strategy is not just a rhetorical reference to a historical phrase, it represents a political shift towards prioritizing influence in the Southern Hemisphere at the expense of other traditional US commitments around the world, such as NATO, climate diplomacy or broader multilateral frameworks, the Royal Society "Chatham House" noted in its analysis. The document also introduces what its authors call the "Trump Amendment" to the Monroe Doctrine - an amendment that calls for more assertive US action in Latin America against countries seen as rivals, including China and Russia.
The Trump administration sees the Americas as the frontline in the fight against problems such as migration, drug trafficking and foreign influence, the "Chatham House" analysis said. The NSS calls for engaging regional allies to help address these challenges, even if such cooperation sometimes conflicts with local political priorities. This is broadly consistent with Monroe's original idea of preventing outside powers from interfering in the hemisphere, but in the modern context the strategy has expanded to include economic and geopolitical competition – especially with China.
China's economic involvement in Latin America through investments in mining, infrastructure and trade has grown significantly over the past two decades, leading US strategists to view the region as contested territory, according to "Chatham House". The NSS's emphasis on preventing the establishment of "competitors from the other hemisphere" in the region is clearly aimed at countering China's influence, which Washington sees as a strategic threat when it is so close to its traditional sphere of influence.
The analysis by the British think tank suggests that the revival of the "Monroe" doctrine is part of a broader rethinking of US foreign policy, moving away from global leadership and multilateralism and towards a more regionally focused and transactional stance. It describes the new strategy as based on "civilizational realism" and focused on national sovereignty, rejecting traditional commitments to alliances in favour of immediate regional priorities.
While the original "Monroe" focused primarily on deterring European colonial interventions, its revival in 2025 adapts this idea to the geopolitical environment of the 21st century, in which the threats are not classic imperial forces, but rather influence, economic penetration and ideological competition, commented the American think tank Institute for Foreign Policy Studies.
Critics argue that Trump's new doctrine represents a modernized, militarized and extreme version of the policy of dominance in the Southern Hemisphere, combining elements of the historical Monroe Doctrine, the Roosevelt Amendment and contemporary nationalist priorities, writes the newspaper "Washington Post". According to critics, this approach risks returning the world to the era of spheres of influence, which Latin American countries regard with suspicion.
The restoration of the "Monroe" Doctrine has already provoked sharp reactions, the British newspaper "Guardian" points out.
Latin American leaders and observers are aware of the historical legacy of the doctrine, which is often associated with US military interventions in South America, the publication points out. While some US partners in the hemisphere support cooperation on issues such as drug trafficking and migration, others see this approach as an attempt to impose US priorities and influence through military or economic pressure. Critics in the region often say that the doctrine is a justification for interference in the internal affairs of Latin American countries and disregard for sovereign decision-making.
Trump's strategy risks damaging US credibility, as it uses aggressive rhetoric and tactics to restore regional dominance, which could alienate regional partners and inadvertently strengthen alliances between Latin American countries and China or Russia, the "Guardian" comments. Such tactics could undermine long-term U.S. influence and create instability rather than lasting partnerships.
The doctrine's restoration marks a return to the era of spheres of influence in U.S. foreign policy, which contrasts sharply with the post-Cold War emphasis on global multilateralism and cooperative security frameworks, the AP said. It could change the way Washington interacts not only with Latin America but also with global alliances and international institutions, the agency concluded.