History As It Happens – “Did You Say Monroe Doctrine? Oh, Donroe!”

Host: Martin Di Caro
Guest: Jay Sexton, historian and professor at University of Missouri
Date: January 9, 2026

Overview

This episode dives into the history, meaning, and transformation of the Monroe Doctrine—a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere—and its new, controversial iteration in the form of the so-called “Donroe Doctrine,” as invoked by President Trump amidst the recent U.S. invasion and occupation of Venezuela. Host Martin Di Caro and historian Jay Sexton unravel the evolving symbolic and practical applications of the doctrine across two centuries, highlighting its contradictions, adaptations, and the ongoing tension between imperial ambition and purported ideals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Monroe Doctrine—Origins and Early Intent (1823)

• Original context: Articulated by President James Monroe as an annual message to Congress, not as a formal doctrine, policy, or statute.
  • Europe was told it could not intervene or recolonize the Americas (02:51–03:56).
  • No enforcement mechanism: The U.S. lacked the military might and depended on British naval power to underwrite the doctrine (14:22–15:25).
• Jay Sexton:

  “All Monroe said in this address to Congress was what America's rivals at the time, the monarchies of Europe—Spain and France in particular—what they could not do... It didn't say anything about what the United States would do if European powers intervened. It didn't prescribe future policy.” (10:15)

• Not designed or intended as lasting “dogma” (11:20).

2. Transformation and Reinterpretation

• The doctrine morphed in purpose, pulled into different directions by subsequent generations:
  • Used proactively by President James K. Polk to justify the Mexican-American War and territorial expansion (13:12–14:22).
  • During the Civil War era, the doctrine fueled rhetoric against European (especially French) intervention in Mexico, but the U.S. itself remained focused on its own internal conflicts (16:34–18:38).
• Sexton:

  “It's negatively framed: Europe cannot do this. Doesn't say anything about what the United States can do. So it's a blank canvas.” (13:12)

3. From Principle to Imperial Tool

• Shifted from an anti-colonial Enlightenment ideal to a symbol of American hegemony and intervention:
  • Spanish-American War (1898): The anti-imperialists invoked Monroe to argue against annexation, while imperialists felt emboldened to become colonial power themselves (21:50–23:34).
  • The Roosevelt Corollary (1904): Teddy Roosevelt reshaped the doctrine to justify U.S. intervention in the Western Hemisphere, specifically when European powers sought repayment from Venezuela (25:57–27:28).
• Sexton:

  “He [T.R.] starts to formulate the ideas...which essentially states that since European powers cannot intervene in the Western Hemisphere to reclaim debts or restore order, the United States has to do it for them.” (27:19)

4. U.S. Interventions, Corporate Interests, and The Banana Wars

• Early 20th-century interventions (Haiti, Dominican Republic, Central America) driven by regional instability, strategic concerns (e.g., fear of German presence during WWI), and American business interests (United Fruit Co./Banana Wars) (28:01–29:44).
• Sexton:

  “Anytime you have an intervention in a region, it's normally not just one thing, but it’s when multiple factors in the equation all add up to a sum that justifies intervention. That’s what you get.” (28:52)

5. Good Neighbor Policy and Shifting Tactics

• FDR’s Good Neighbor Policy (1930s): A reaction against costly, unpopular direct intervention, favoring reciprocal trading agreements and alliances (29:44–31:25).
  • FDR’s own words reinforced a non-expansionist ideal:

    “We seek no conquest. We stand for peace.” (31:25)

• The policy did not mean abandonment of influence, just a change in methods.

6. The Doctrine in the Cold War and Beyond

• During the Cold War, explicit mention of the Monroe Doctrine became rare; interventions justified instead as part of a global struggle against communism (35:46–36:48).
• The doctrine resurfaces in political discourse when there is a fractious domestic environment or perception of rival spheres of influence re-emerging (36:48–39:09).
• Sexton:

  “The doctrine flourished in domestic political combat... Election years. Somebody's like, I'm going to be a big defender of the Monroe Doctrine. And then the opponent has to be like, no, I'm going to be a bigger defender…” (38:17)

7. The “Donroe Doctrine” and 21st-Century Imperialism

• Trump administration’s Venezuela policy is more a throwback to 19th/early 20th-century raw imperialism than adherence to original Monroe principles (04:22–05:33; 39:09–42:33).
  • Open admission that “we’re taking as much oil as we want, for any purpose.”
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlines a stepwise process: destabilization, quarantine/seizure of oil, then “recovery” with U.S. and Western business access (05:33–06:37).
• Sexton:

  “It does look like the 19th century. I mean it looks a lot like the Roosevelt corollary. ...What’s most striking about the Venezuela business is it seems like we’re flying by the seat of the pants...That's a dangerous, risky move.” (39:43–41:52)

8. Evolving Perceptions—Latin America, Symbols, and Legacy

• Once regarded in Latin America as a liberal Enlightenment principle, the Monroe Doctrine is now widely viewed as a tool of “Yankee imperialism” (02:01; 42:33).
• Sexton:

  “Don’t pin that on Monroe. ...In the 19th century, the Monroe Doctrine...was seen as a sort of liberal symbol of enlightenment and there was a lot of traction for it there. So these things change over time.” (42:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Martin Di Caro on Trump’s new version:

  “President Trump is touting a new era of US Dominance over the Western Hemisphere, starting with his invasion of Venezuela, where he now says the US Will be in charge indefinitely, taking as much oil as he wants for any purpose... The Don Ro Doctrine. Wait, did he say Dunro, not Monroe?” (01:17)

• Jay Sexton on the doctrine’s amorphous legacy:

  “It's been a really amorphous, shape-shifting thing across time... not because we’re bad at doing history...but it's because it’s been a really amorphous, shape shifting thing across time.” (09:42)

• On Roosevelt’s bravado and the cult of “manliness” in foreign policy:

  “Over time, those most likely to invoke it, ...the sort of chest thumping bravado of Teddy Roosevelt, it is about asserting a certain image of manliness, but of power and authority and thereby stigmatizing domestic political opponents who disagree with that as weak...” (39:43)

• On the 21st-century political context:

  “Spheres of influence are back, man. ...Monroe Doctrine coming back shouldn't be a surprise in the 21st century because it looks more like...the 19th [century].” (38:35)

• FDR's vision of hemispheric peace:

  "The noblest monument to peace...is the boundary that unites the United States and Canada... What made it? Mutual trust, and to extend the same sort of mutual trust throughout the Americas was our aim..." (43:37)

Timestamps – Major Segments

• 02:01 – Jay Sexton on the changing Latin-American perception of the Monroe Doctrine
• 03:50–04:48 – Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” compared to 19th century imperialism
• 06:37 – Rubio outlines new U.S. policy phases in Venezuela
• 09:13 – Sexton explains original intent and context of the doctrine
• 13:12 – Polk’s reinterpretation for Manifest Destiny and Mexican War
• 14:22–15:25 – The irony of Britain’s role; U.S. as weak enforcer
• 16:34 – French intervention in Mexico and Civil War-era politics
• 21:50–23:53 – 1898 war, imperialists vs. anti-imperialists
• 25:57 – Roosevelt Corollary and Venezuela debt crisis
• 28:01–29:44 – Early 20th-century U.S. interventions, business interests
• 29:44–31:25 – FDR’s Good Neighbor Policy
• 35:46–36:48 – Cold War and eclipse of the explicit Monroe Doctrine
• 39:09–41:52 – Trump’s Venezuela occupation as “retro” imperialism, comparison with history
• 42:33 – Legacy, symbolism, and ideology of the Monroe Doctrine in Latin America

Conclusion

Through a brisk, engaging, sometimes wry conversation, Martin Di Caro and Jay Sexton trace how the Monroe Doctrine—once a makeshift warning to Europe—became a flexible instrument repeatedly re-forged to meet the demands of American power, ideology, and domestic politics. The latest “Donroe Doctrine” represents not a radical break, but a reversion to older, more openly imperialist traditions, now justified with less pretense and even less subtlety—closing the loop between history and current events in the Western Hemisphere.

For a deeper dive into any period or policy change, refer to the detailed timestamps above or queue up the full episode.