III 

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 


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•SRES 434 IS 

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 Jua ́rez, which enabled 

Jua ́rez 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’’, affirmVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:34 Oct 27, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR434.IS SR434

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•SRES 434 IS 

ing ‘‘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; 


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•SRES 434 IS 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commemorates the 200th anniversary of the 

3 promulgation of the Monroe Doctrine; 

4 (2) reasserts the rights and interests of the 

5 United States, in accordance with the Monroe Doc6 trine, to oppose a foreign power extending malign in7 fluence that could endanger or undermine the de8 mocracies of the Western Hemisphere; and 

9 (3) recognizes the principles of hemisphere free10 dom and independence, as enshrined in the Monroe 


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•SRES 434 IS 

1 Doctrine, as an enduring foundational cornerstone of 

2 the foreign policy of the United States. 

Æ 


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