the Monroe Doctrine
noun /mənˌrəʊ ˈdɒktrɪn/
/mənˌrəʊ ˈdɑːktrɪn/
- a part of US foreign policy that states that the US will act to protect its own interests in North and South AmericaCultureThe Monroe Doctrine is one of the most important policies in US history. President James Monroe said the US would oppose any new European attempts to control countries in the Americas but it would not interfere with European interests already there. The British, who were well established in the New World, supported this. President Theodore Roosevelt added in 1904 that the US might have to become involved in problems in other American nations. President Franklin D Roosevelt, however, introduced the Good Neighbor Policy which said American nations should work together as equal partners. Though the US has been involved in some military and political actions in Latin America, this is still the official US policy.Word OriginFrom the name of US President James Monroe, who first stated the policy in 1823.