Editorials

Editorials

"Go far with a big stick": When the U.S. passed the Monroe Doctrine, it didn't only affect Russia at the time, it affected the world in the future. The Monroe Doctrine basically stated that the U.S. will stay out of your way if your stay out of ours, this was Roosevelt's new foreign diplomacy style. Though in 1902, European powers blockaded the port of Venezuela, thus encroaching on the Monroe Doctrine. Roosevelt knew if he did nothing, it would undermine Americas dominance in the region, and if this happened, the U.S. might not be the worlds super power it is today. What Roosevelt did to fire back at the European nations was threaten war. Roosevelt went to congress and stated that in keeping with the Monroe Doctrine, the U.S. was justified in exercising "international police power" to stop the European wrongdoing in the Western Hemisphere. This speech was called the "Roosevelt Corollary". I believe what Roosevelt did was very smart and daring, daring because he risked the U.S. going to war at a time when we were vulnerable. In the end, Roosevelt stated," Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far". This African proverb came to be Roosevelt's "Big Stick Diplomacy".

"Taft's Lonely Dollar": In 1909, President William Howard Taft and his Secretary of State, Philander Knox, came up with a very smart foreign policy strategy where they tried to get the support of nations through financial rather than aggressive means. It was referred to as "Dollar Diplomacy" in as much as they believed that money would achieve national goals rather than bullets. In the end, it actually failed, but has very much been employed by other administrations. Even President Bush to a certain extent used such a strategy in gaining support for the Iraq War. Now even though Taft's Policy failed, it wasn't because of the plan, but because of how and when he used it. The Dollar Bill in America was becoming useless at the time, and Taft was a very desperate person at the time, but nowadays, our presidents know that the U.S. bill is worth more then most currency being used today. In comparison with the Big Stick Diplomacy, I believe the "Big Stick Beat Down Taft's Dollar". Roosevelt wasn't only smart with the way he executed his Diplomacy, but he saved America in doing