Trump's Audacious New World Order

James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America, enunciated the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, which proclaimed that the Western Hemisphere (basically North and South America) would be off-limits to further colonization by European countries, whilst respecting the existing European colonies in the Americas.

- ANDREW SHENG

Since 1823, the American drive to the Pacific, gradual assumption of former lands of the Spanish empire (Texas, California, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam and Philippines), and the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, all extended Pax Americana.

In the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President, took over the Panama Canal in 1903, creating the Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe doctrine that gave America the right to intervene in the domestic affairs of Western Hemisphere nations which acted against her interests.

Monroe 2.0 was tested during the 1961 Cuba crisis, when the Soviet Union tried to place missiles in Cuba. The US intervened also in Nicaragua, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Two hundred and two years after the 1823 Monroe 1.0, the 45th and 47th President, Donald Trump has seemingly restated it for the 21st century (Monroe 2.1). He announced plans to "reclaim" the Panama Canal, bring Canada in as the 51st state and buy Greenland from Denmark.

How does this square with Trump's stance as an anti-war President, who as a candidate vowed to end the forever wars of his predecessors? Since taking over in January, he has sought resolution to the Ukraine and Gaza wars, leaving Ukraine to Europe to handle, dealing with Iran and Israel to settle the Middle East and aiming to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on a diplomatic charm offensive.