In 1904, President Roosevelt in his annual note to the Congress announced that the Unites States would act as the “policeman” in the Caribbean. This reaction was the result or countermeasure by the President for the interference by the Europeans in the Caribbean affairs. This was also called the Roosevelt Corollary to the previous Monroe Doctrine. In 1902, the Monroe Doctrine was issued when German, British and Italian gunboats obstructed the Venezuelan ports as the government of Venezuela had not paid their foreign debts. The Monroe Doctrine was brought to life prevent these sort of European distortion and interference in the Western Hemisphere affairs.
These recent developments made President Roosevelt to declare the United States as the policeman in the Central America and Caribbean. Meanwhile, in The Hague, an international court, had ruled that any creditor nation using force would get preference in the repayment of a loan. In addition, Roosevelt had gained the right of building the Panama Canal; and he strongly believed that any possible threat to the Panama Canal would threaten the U.S. economic and strategic interests.
For enforcing order, protecting the U.S. economic interests and forestalling foreign intervention, the United States mediated in the Central America and Caribbean around 20 times in the next quarter century—especially, in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Mexico and Panama. Each of these interventions used to follow a common pattern: after the intervention for restoring order, the U.S. forces became involved in the internal political disputes of these countries. Before exiting, the U.S. would fund and train their military and police force for maintaining order and used to sponsor election for placing a strong leader in power, which would also be supportive of the American interests.
References
United States History. "Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine." u-s-history.com. Accessed May 27, 2014. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1449.html.
Digital History. "Policing the Caribbean and Central America." digitalhistory.uh. Accessed May 27, 2014. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3162.
