![Luis María Drago](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Luis_Mar%C3%ADa_Drago.jpg)
The Drago Doctrine was announced in 1902 by Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs
Luis María Drago
Luis María Drago ( - ) was an Argentine politician.
Born into a distinguished Argentine family in Buenos Aires, Drago began his career as a newspaper editor. Later, he served as a minister of foreign affairs (1902). At that time, when the UK, ...
in a diplomatic note to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Perceiving a conflict between the
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a United States foreign policy position that opposed European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It held that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers was a potentially hostile act ...
and the influence of European imperial powers, and raising attention to the principle of sovereign equality that the United States had long supported, it set forth the policy that no foreign power, including the United States, could use force against a nation in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
to collect
debt
Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...
.
In 1904, the
Roosevelt Corollary
In the history of United States foreign policy, the Roosevelt Corollary was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine articulated by President Theodore Roosevelt in his State of the Union address in 1904 after the Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903. ...
was issued by the United States in response to the Drago Doctrine and asserted the right of the United States to intervene in Latin America in the interests of American business and Latin American independence from European powers.
A modified version, known as the Porter Convention after
Horace Porter
Horace Porter (April 15, 1837May 29, 1921) was an American soldier and diplomat who served as a lieutenant colonel, ordnance officer and staff officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, personal secretary to General and President Ul ...
, was adopted at
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
in 1907 and added that arbitration and litigation should always be used first.
History
It grew from the ideas expressed by
Carlos Calvo in ''Derecho internacional teórico y práctico de Europa y América'', commonly known as the
Calvo Doctrine. The Calvo Doctrine proposed to prohibit diplomatic intervention before local resources were exhausted.
The Drago Doctrine itself was a response to the actions of Britain, Germany, and Italy, which, in 1902, had
blockaded Venezuela in response to Venezuelan government's refusal to pay its massive foreign debt that had been acquired under previous administrations before President
Cipriano Castro took power. Secretary of State
John Hay was taken aback by the reference to the
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a United States foreign policy position that opposed European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It held that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers was a potentially hostile act ...
and delayed six weeks before responding by quoting
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
's 1901 annual message to Congress: "We do not guarantee any state against punishment if it misconducts itself."
Roosevelt himself, although he would lavish praise on Drago's doctrine in later years, had earlier written in his capacity as Vice President to the German diplomat
Hermann Speck von Sternburg that "if any South American State misbehaves towards any European country, let the European country spank it."
The Drago Doctrine was used by
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
as a rationale for its vote in support of Argentina at the
Organization of American States meeting on the
Argentine debt crisis that involved
NML Capital.
See also
*
Calvo doctrine
References
Foreign policy doctrines
1902 in law
Political history of Argentina
History of Argentina (1880–1916)
1902 in international relations
Politics of Venezuela
1902 in Venezuela
1902 in South America
Government debt
Monroe Doctrine
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