Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine, set forth in President James Monroe's 1823 Address to Congress, served notice that future European colonization in the Americas and/or interference in sovereign American countries' affairs would be regarded as hostile acts toward the United States. For its part, the United States undertook to stay neutral in European wars and wars between European powers and their colonies. The US did not, however, feel constrained against interfering in sovereign American countries' affairs, as this figure shows:

The Monroe Doctrine spawned a number of imitations, such as the Brezhnev Doctrine, the Reagan Doctrine, the Fleetwood Mac Doctrine, and the Bush Doctrine. The world awaits a new [Putin Doctrine].