Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
President Trump’s corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, the “Donroe Doctrine,” suggests a return to outsized American influence in Latin America through military might and economic pressure. This aggressive approach has opened a schism in the realist community. Some realists support the Donroe Doctrine's stated aims, particularly drug interdiction, access to critical resources, and preserving U.S. hemispheric predominance. Other realists support prioritizing the Western Hemisphere in grand strategy, but remain skeptical of Trump’s use of military force, particularly its lack of alignment between ends and means and the potential for open-ended quagmires.
The Quincy Institute and Conservative Partnership Institute hosted a debate on the question - can the 'Donroe Doctrine' advance U.S. interests?
George Beebe, director of the grand strategy program at the Quincy Institute, and Daniel McCarthy, distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation, provided a defense of the doctrine as a viable realist strategy for U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.
Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow & director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, and Katherine Thompson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, maintained that the Donroe Doctrine offers just another strain of endless U.S. military adventurism without a defined ends and means strategy. Kelley Vlahos, editor-in-chief of Responsible Statecraft, moderated.
This event was held on Thursday, May 21st at Bellator Hall.
President Trump’s corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, the “Donroe Doctrine,” suggests a return to outsized American influence in Latin America through military might and economic pressure. This aggressive approach has opened a schism in the realist community. Some realists support the Donroe Doctrine's stated aims, particularly drug interdiction, access to critical resources, and preserving U.S. hemispheric predominance. Other realists support prioritizing the Western Hemisphere in grand strategy, but remain skeptical of Trump’s use of military force, particularly its lack of alignment between ends and means and the potential for open-ended quagmires.
The Quincy Institute and Conservative Partnership Institute hosted a debate on the question - can the 'Donroe Doctrine' advance U.S. interests?
George Beebe, director of the grand strategy program at the Quincy Institute, and Daniel McCarthy, distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation, provided a defense of the doctrine as a viable realist strategy for U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.
Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow & director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, and Katherine Thompson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, maintained that the Donroe Doctrine offers just another strain of endless U.S. military adventurism without a defined ends and means strategy. Kelley Vlahos, editor-in-chief of Responsible Statecraft, moderated.
This event was held on Thursday, May 21st at Bellator Hall.
