Following the debates on the Monroe-Doctrine during the international Conference “The Monroe Doctrine: History, Interpretations, Legacy” that took place in Frankfurt in December 2023 and was co-organized by TraCe, Hendrik Simon started a new, open-ended Symposium on Völkerrechtsblog. The format, titled “ReflectiÖns on 200 Years of the Monroe Doctrine” aims to enable scholars to reflect on the legacy of the Monroe Doctrine - 200 years after James Monroe delivered his State of the Union address.
Originally driven by anti-colonial impetus and denying European colonization of the American continents, it was reinterpreted over the years to almost its opposite thereby justifying imperialism and war. Although the doctrine is of central importance for the history of international relations and international law, little discussion emerged in the run up to its bicentenary. Inspired by the new ReflectiÖns format on Völkerrechtsblog, in which scholars exchange ideas by exploring differing formats, Hendrik Simon invites scholars from multiple disciplines and perspectives to reflect on the Monroe Doctrine and its history of impact in a written text, a recorded comment or a conversation thereby starting the academic discussion on its Janus-faced character as well as contemporary interpretation and relevance.
The first contribution to the Symposium is by Juan Pablo Scarfi (Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago). In his video lecture titled “The Monroe Doctrine: Towards a New Historiography” he proposes a new understandings of the Monroe-Doctrine by pointing out less known aspects such as Latin American interpretations. With this talk, Scarfi picks up arguments he presented in his keynote address at the international Conference in Frankfurt.
More information on the new Symposium as well as the first contribution can be found on Völkerrechtsblog.
Contributions or questions can be directed at the review team (review(at)voelkerrechtsblog.org).