Canada, and the Caribbean… indeed all of “The Americas”, have to take the role and interests of the United States into account with regard to almost any aspect of foreign policy, and in many areas of domestic policy. That has been a given in the region for a very long time.
Taking U.S. interests into account has usually been accomplished by most countries in a spirit of partnership, shared values, and amity…although there are certainly historical examples through out the region where that has certainly not happened.
The Trump Administration has just released its new National Security Strategy. It is a codification of much of the approach to international economic relations that the U.S. has been pursuing. Written with an aggressive tone, it pledges to “reassert and enforce” U.S. leadership in the Americas to “restore American preeminence” and block “non-Hemispheric competitors” from gaining military footholds or control over strategic assets in the region. It rejects a pursuit of common values, things like democracy, development, human rights and addressing climate change, in favour of “America First”. As it has since President Trump’s second term began, it would seem that U.S. policy will continue to seek every lever to make, or force, the region to bend to U.S. economic, military and strategic interests.
This U.S. strategy will undoubtedly not find favour in many places. It may face push-back. But it is a strategy that Canada and the Caribbean will have to find new ways to take into account.
Story by Antonio María Delgado, December 5, 2025
Experts said the document released Friday amounts to one of the most forceful U.S. policy statements on hemispheric influence in decades, echoing Cold War-era language and signaling a long-term geopolitical repositioning. Implementation is expected to draw scrutiny – and likely pushback – from global rivals already deeply invested in Latin America.
The strategy, outlined in a newly released section of the National Security Strategy and billed as the “Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine,” pledges to “reassert and enforce” U.S. leadership in the Americas to “restore American preeminence” and block “non-Hemispheric competitors” from gaining military footholds or control over strategic assets in the region.
“After years of neglect, the United States is reaffirming with this document that it will enforce the Monroe Doctrine in order to restore U.S. preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” said Carlos Sánchez Berzaín, executive director of the Miami-based Inter-American Institute for Democracy. “In other words, it is telling other global actors: ‘Keep off – America belongs to the United States.'”
The Monroe Doctrine, announced in 1823 by President James Monroe, declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to further European colonization and interference.
Sánchez Berzaín, a former Bolivian minister, described Friday’s document as “extraordinary,” arguing that it declares the U.S. intends to recover influence it believes has eroded across the region.
Through the document, the United States is declaring: “We’ve lost that preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, but we’re going to regain it,” he said, adding that references to “key geographies” signal a renewed focus on ports, energy hubs and other assets deemed strategic. “Don’t meddle in the Western Hemisphere – this is under our control.”
A National Security Strategy is a government-issued document that outlines a country’s core security interests and the approaches it will take to safeguard them. It serves as a framework for national security and foreign policy decision-making, while also conveying the administration’s strategic priorities to domestic audiences, Congress and international partners. The strategy further functions as a justification for the resources and funding the government seeks in order to carry out its security objectives.
Partnerships, security, commercial diplomacy
Under the directive, Washington will seek to “enlist and expand” partnerships across Latin America and the Caribbean – tasking long-standing allies with helping to stem migration and narcotics flows while opening the door to cooperation with governments not traditionally aligned with the U.S.
Countries that support U.S. objectives could be rewarded with investment and security cooperation, while even governments with “different outlooks” may be engaged where interests overlap.
The strategy calls for a reallocation of U.S. military deployments to prioritize the hemisphere, including increased Coast Guard and Navy patrols to secure sea routes, crack down on drug and human trafficking and, if necessary, use lethal force against transnational cartels.
It also outlines targeted border deployments, expanded access to strategic locations, and deeper security cooperation through weapons sales, intelligence sharing and joint military exercises.
Economically, the directive elevates “commercial diplomacy” as a central tool – pushing tariffs, reciprocal trade agreements and investment frameworks designed to reroute supply chains toward the Americas and strengthen domestic industry.
U.S. embassies will be instructed to actively promote American commercial bids and discourage reliance on low-cost financing from rival powers, which officials warn can lead to espionage, cybersecurity risks or “debt-trap” arrangements.
The White House argues that American products should become the “partner of first choice” in the region, positioning U.S. goods as higher-quality alternatives to foreign financing. Federal agencies would be charged with identifying investment opportunities in critical minerals, energy infrastructure, maritime and port modernization, telecommunications and cyber networks, with government financing tools mobilized to back U.S. companies abroad.
The directive explicitly calls for efforts to “push out foreign companies that build infrastructure in the region.”
Shift in American identity
Evan Ellis, a professor with the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, said the directive formalizes a foreign policy direction the administration has already been pursuing.
“To me, it is really a codification of the direction the president has taken the country,” Ellis said. “This document codifies the enduring legacy: a fundamental reorientation of how the U.S. relates to the rest of the world.”
He said the strategy reflects a shift not only in foreign policy but also in the administration’s approach to U.S. institutions at home, calling it a departure from long-standing views of democratic values and alliances. “What you basically see,” he added, “is that there’s been a giving-away from the traditional U.S. story” – one in which Washington casts itself as a defender of human rights, diversity, immigration and democratic institutions.
In its place, Ellis argues, the document presents a United States more willing to assert interests through economic leverage, reconsider long-standing alliances such as NATO and pull back from regions where it once maintained deep engagement – including during and before the Cold War.
While the directive did not create these shifts, he said, it stands as one of the clearest written expressions of the administration’s global posture and worldview.
A global blueprint beyond the Americas
The document also lays out how the administration views other regions:
- The Western Hemisphere comes first. The strategy revives a Monroe Doctrine framework – the “Trump Corollary” – warning non-hemispheric powers away from ports, telecommunications systems, energy grids and key infrastructure. Migration control, drug cartel disruption, energy partnerships and supply-chain “near-shoring” are central priorities. Latin America, often sidelined in Washington, is now described as the front yard of U.S. national security.
- Asia is the battleground of the 21st century. China is cast not as an enemy but as a strategic rival whose economic power must be counterbalanced through tariffs, reindustrialization and alliances. Taiwan is labeled a high-risk flashpoint where deterrence is crucial. Dominance in advanced technology – chips, AI and other strategic industries – is framed as key to U.S. power.
- Europe receives a warning. The directive cites demographic decline, regulatory stagnation, migration challenges and war fatigue over Ukraine as vulnerabilities. It calls for a more self-reliant Europe capable of standing without U.S. security guarantees. The subtext: Washington expects allies to “grow up” strategically.
- In the Middle East, war gives way to diplomacy. The region is reframed as an investment hub – linking energy, nuclear cooperation, AI development and new security frameworks. Iran is described as weakened. The U.S. seeks to shift from constant military firefighting to the role of strategic broker.
- Africa moves to investment rather than aid. The directive emphasizes commercial engagement rather than charity-driven assistance. U.S. companies – particularly in mining, energy and critical minerals – are positioned as primary vehicles of influence, with partnerships focused on “capable and reliable states” without long-term boots on the ground.
Source: Miami Herald, via MSN