Biden’s Monroe Doctrine Revival: America’s Renewed Focus on the Western Hemisphere
President Signals Shift Toward Traditional Hemispheric Influence as Global Challenges Mount
In a significant policy pivot that echoes America’s historical approach to regional diplomacy, President Biden has begun articulating a vision that many foreign policy experts interpret as a modern reinvention of the Monroe Doctrine—the 19th-century principle that established a special U.S. sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere. This strategic reorientation comes amid growing concerns about China’s economic inroads into Latin America, Russia’s continued relationships with countries like Venezuela and Cuba, and persistent challenges including migration, democratic backsliding, and transnational crime that directly impact U.S. interests.
During a recent address at the State Department, Biden emphasized what he called “the neighborhood first” approach, suggesting that stability and prosperity in the Americas remains fundamental to U.S. national security. “For too long, we’ve looked across oceans for challenges and opportunities while sometimes taking our own hemisphere for granted,” the President stated, outlining a comprehensive strategy that includes increased diplomatic engagement, expanded economic partnerships, and enhanced security cooperation throughout the region. This rhetoric marks a notable departure from previous administrations’ relative disengagement with Latin America and the Caribbean, regions often relegated to secondary importance behind European, Middle Eastern, and Asian priorities.
The administration’s hemispheric focus has manifested in several concrete policy initiatives over the past year. The Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, launched with initial participation from eleven countries including Chile, Mexico, and Colombia, aims to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative by offering alternative infrastructure investment without the debt diplomacy concerns associated with Beijing’s approach. Similarly, Vice President Harris’s leadership on addressing “root causes” of migration from Central America reflects the administration’s recognition that regional stability directly impacts domestic political challenges. Perhaps most tellingly, the administration has significantly increased high-level diplomatic visits throughout the region, with Cabinet secretaries making more trips to Latin America in the past eighteen months than during the entire previous administration.
Historical Context and Contemporary Challenges in the Administration’s Regional Approach
The Monroe Doctrine, first articulated by President James Monroe in 1823, warned European powers against new colonization efforts in the Americas while establishing a principle of separate spheres of influence between the Old and New Worlds. Throughout American history, this doctrine has been invoked, reinterpreted, and sometimes criticized as a justification for intervention and hegemony. The Roosevelt Corollary expanded this principle to assert an American “police power” in the hemisphere, while the Good Neighbor Policy later attempted to shift toward more cooperative approaches. During the Cold War, the doctrine took on anti-communist dimensions, sometimes supporting interventions against perceived Soviet influence.
“What we’re seeing from the Biden administration isn’t a direct resurrection of the Monroe Doctrine in its original form,” explains Dr. Maria Fernandez, professor of international relations at Georgetown University. “It’s a recalibration that acknowledges both the historical importance of regional stability to U.S. interests and the modern reality that influence today is primarily exercised through economic engagement, values-based diplomacy, and soft power rather than military intervention.” This nuanced approach attempts to balance assertiveness with partnership, recognizing that heavy-handed unilateralism would likely backfire in a region with complex histories of U.S. involvement and growing nationalism.
The administration’s hemispheric focus faces significant challenges, however. China has emerged as Latin America’s second-largest trading partner, with investments exceeding $160 billion since 2002, providing Beijing with substantial economic leverage. Democratic backsliding in countries including Nicaragua, Venezuela, and increasingly Guatemala threatens regional stability, while organized crime networks continue to operate across borders with devastating consequences. Perhaps most pressing is the migration crisis, with record numbers of people fleeing violence, poverty, climate disasters, and political instability throughout Central and South America. These overlapping challenges require coordinated, sustained engagement rather than the episodic attention that has characterized previous U.S. approaches to the region.
Strategic Implications and Domestic Political Considerations
Foreign policy analysts see the administration’s hemispheric focus as part of a broader strategic recalibration in response to changing global power dynamics. “The renewed emphasis on the Western Hemisphere reflects a recognition that great power competition with China and Russia now extends into America’s traditional sphere of influence,” notes Ambassador Thomas Shannon, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. “Beijing and Moscow have deliberately targeted the region for economic and political influence, requiring Washington to demonstrate that it remains both attentive and committed to its neighbors.”
This strategic reorientation also represents a pragmatic acknowledgment that domestic political priorities—particularly immigration control and economic growth—are inextricably linked to regional stability. The administration faces intense pressure to reduce irregular migration at the southern border, a challenge that cannot be addressed through enforcement alone but requires addressing governance, security, and economic conditions in source countries. Similarly, supply chain resilience, a priority since pandemic disruptions revealed vulnerabilities in global manufacturing networks, has accelerated interest in “nearshoring”—relocating production from Asia to closer Latin American partners. This economic integration creates mutual interests in stability and prosperity.
Critics from both ends of the political spectrum have raised concerns about the administration’s approach. Progressive voices warn against returning to paternalistic policies that have historically undermined sovereignty in the region, while conservative critics argue the administration hasn’t been assertive enough in confronting leftist governments and Chinese influence. Some Latin American leaders themselves have expressed wariness about being caught in a new Cold War-style competition between Washington and Beijing, preferring to maintain relationships with both powers. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has repeatedly stressed his country’s independence, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pursued a balanced approach to relations with the United States and China.
Future Trajectory and Implications for Regional Relations
The administration’s renewed hemispheric focus appears poised to continue, with several major initiatives planned for the coming year. The Summit of the Americas follow-up process includes working groups on democratic governance, digital transformation, and climate adaptation, while the Development Finance Corporation has announced plans to substantially increase investment throughout the region. A forthcoming Western Hemisphere strategic framework document is expected to formalize many elements of this regional approach, potentially establishing longer-term institutional commitments that could outlast the current administration.
“Success will ultimately depend on whether the United States can deliver tangible benefits that improve lives throughout the region,” argues Rebecca Chavez, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs. “Rhetorical commitments and diplomatic engagement are important starting points, but substantive economic partnerships, security cooperation that respects human rights, and meaningful development assistance will be necessary to demonstrate that American attention isn’t merely cyclical or self-interested.” The administration’s willingness to address shared challenges, from climate change to organized crime to democratic backsliding, in ways that respect Latin American agency will largely determine whether this renewed focus translates into improved relationships.
As global competition intensifies and domestic political pressures mount, the Biden administration’s reemphasis on the Western Hemisphere represents both a return to historical patterns and an adaptation to contemporary realities. Whether characterized as a modern Monroe Doctrine or simply a strategic prioritization of regional relationships, this approach recognizes that America’s interests, values, and security remain profoundly connected to the stability and prosperity of its neighbors. The effectiveness of this hemispheric focus will ultimately depend on whether it can balance assertiveness with respect, leadership with partnership, and American interests with shared prosperity in ways that previous iterations of U.S. regional policy have sometimes failed to achieve.
