[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 434 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 434
Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 26, 2023
Mr. Risch (for himself, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Scott of Florida,
Mr. Grassley, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Vance, Mr. Rubio, and Mr.
Scott of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine.
Whereas, on December 2, 1823, President James Monroe articulated what became to
be known as the ``Monroe Doctrine'' in his seventh annual message to
Congress;
Whereas in the Monroe Doctrine, President Monroe asserted ``a principle in which
the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the
American continents, by the free and independent condition which they
have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as
subjects for future colonization'' by foreign powers;
Whereas the Monroe Doctrine asserted a spirit of solidarity with the newly
independent republics of Latin America and established the principle
that autocratic influences and depredations by powers outside the region
present dangers to the peace, safety, and independence of the free
nations of the Western Hemisphere;
Whereas President Monroe established the defensive character of the Monroe
Doctrine by asserting that, ``It is only when our rights are invaded or
seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our
defense.'';
Whereas President Monroe proclaimed the doctrine after the Russian Empire
attempted to claim and colonize territories in present-day Alaska and
the Pacific Northwest in 1821, and the seizure of the USS Pearl by the
Russian sloop Apollon in 1822;
Whereas, according to the National Archives, the United States Government
invoked the Monroe Doctrine in 1865 to exert diplomatic and military
pressure in support of the Mexican President Benito Juarez, which
enabled Juarez to lead a successful revolt against the Emperor
Maximilian, who had been placed on the throne by the French Empire;
Whereas, according to the National Archives, President John F. Kennedy invoked
the Monroe Doctrine when the Soviet Union built missile launch sites in
Cuba in 1962, and as part of the successful actions of his
administration to see the Soviet missiles withdrawn from the dismantled
missile launch sites in Cuba;
Whereas, on September 17, 1987, the Senate adopted an amendment, by a bipartisan
vote of 90 to 2, to S. 1174 (100th Congress), known as the ``National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989'', affirming
``the sense of the Senate that the policy of the United States toward
Central America should be based on the principles of the Monroe
Doctrine'';
Whereas the National Security Strategy dated October 2022 states that ``no
region impacts the United States more directly than the Western
Hemisphere,'' and acknowledges the threat of external interference or
coercion in the Western Hemisphere from the People's Republic of China,
the Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran;
Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command
acknowledges that external malign actors like the People's Republic of
China and the Russian Federation are aggressively exerting influence
over neighboring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and raises
concerns about Iranian intelligence and security activities;
Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command notes
that the People's Republic of China is encroaching upon sensitive
critical infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere through investments,
including in deep-water ports, cyber facilities, and space facilities
which can have a potential dual use for malign commercial and military
activities;
Whereas the 2023 Posture Statement of the United States Southern Command notes
that the Russian Federation undertakes extensive disinformation
campaigns in Latin America, bolsters authoritarian regimes like the
Republic of Cuba, the Republic of Nicaragua, and the Bolivarian Republic
of Venezuela, and pursues military engagement and gray zone operations
in this region;
Whereas the posture statement for 2023 of the United States Northern Command
asserts ``Our competitors and potential adversaries, particularly the
People's Republic of China and Russia, continue to challenge the rules-
based international order'' and ``seek to advance their interests and
gain global advantages through political intimidation, economic
coercion, cyber and information operations, asymmetric attacks on
infrastructure, and the direct threat or actual employment of military
force''; and
Whereas the letter and spirit of the Monroe Doctrine continue to inspire the
efforts of the people of the United States to--
(1) maintain robust domestic, economic, and defense capabilities; and
(2) partner with democratic nations of the Western Hemisphere on a
basis of mutual respect and support for shared beneficial diplomatic,
commercial, and security endeavors: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commemorates the 200th anniversary of the promulgation
of the Monroe Doctrine;
(2) reasserts the rights and interests of the United
States, in accordance with the Monroe Doctrine, to oppose a
foreign power extending malign influence that could endanger or
undermine the democracies of the Western Hemisphere; and
(3) recognizes the principles of hemisphere freedom and
independence, as enshrined in the Monroe Doctrine, as an
enduring foundational cornerstone of the foreign policy of the
United States.
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