Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy

American History

Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policies concerning nations in Asia and Latin America has brought only benefits for the United States at the expense of the countries that his administration had taken advantaged of.

During his term, the United States' control of the Philippines in Asia illustrates how Roosevelt sought to control other nations by providing financial and military assistance to poor nations. His administration had been actively involved in providing aid to nations who are struggling to gain independents from their colonizers. Thus, in the Philippines, the U.S. fought with Filipinos against Spain; it assumed a similar role in controlling the Cuba, Puerto Rico, and even China. Furthermore, Roosevelt brokered an agreement with Japan regulating the entry of Japanese immigrants in the country, called the "Gentleman's Agreement."

Specific foreign policy issues Roosevelt had been involved with during his term include his plan to construct the Panama Canal and what was popularly known as the Roosevelt Corollary. In the construction of Panama Canal, Roosevelt's primary objective was to curtail his fears that another nation would come up with the idea of building a passageway, wherein trade between the U.S. And other countries would be detrimentally affected, blocking the U.S.'s access to trade goods from Atlantic to Pacific Ocean and back. Through the Roosevelt Corollary, the then president implemented the Monroe Doctrine, which posits that European nations shall not force Venezuela to pay its debts. Roosevelt's assertion that the U.S. shall take action should the doctrine be violated by the concerned parties. As with the Panama Canal construction, the implementation of the Roosevelt Corollary was imposed by Roosevelt for fear that a European nation shall control or overpower a Latin American nation, which may lead to increased European power, and ultimately, decrease the power and control of America over the Latin American region.