It’s Time for Monroe Doctrine 2.0

Donald Trump's election has created an opportunity for the desperately needed reboot in foreign policies as well as domestic ones in order to take appropriate corrective action. Of course, it is essential to have an accurate understanding of the magnitude of the problems Mr. Trump is now confronting, as well as the options for fixing those problems.

Take for example, the state of the Western Hemisphere, despite its obvious importance to the security as well as the economy of our country. Latin America has generally been subjected to, at best, benign neglect by successive US administrations, both Republican and Democrat. Our enemies have filled the vacuum.

Notably, the Chinese Communist Party has made huge headways in colonizing the region, creating ports, electric grids, and other critical infrastructure. Some of these assets owned as well as operated by the Chinese. The Russians are providing, among other things, advanced arms and Iran's regime and what remains of its foreign legion, Hezbollah, operate with impunity in key countries across Latin America.

Unfortunately, much of the rest of the world is aflame, thanks to what I call “World War Xi” – a product of the strategic arson at the hands of the Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and the ineptitude, or worse, the complicity of the outgoing Biden-Harris administration.

So, the temptation to give short shrift to nations and challenges closer to home will likely arise again. But we cannot safely ignore, let alone acquiesce to, the subversion and the capture of our neighborhood by hostile foreign powers in a manner President James Monroe proscribed 200 years ago.