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.
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 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 d ...
.
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. T ...
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 ...
, was adopted at
The Hague 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 is a foreign policy doctrine which holds that jurisdiction in international investment disputes lies with the country in which the investment is located. The Calvo Doctrine stood in contrast to historical rules governing foreign ...
. 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
José Cipriano Castro Ruiz (12 October 1858 – 4 December 1924) was a high-ranking member of the Venezuelan military, politician and the president of Venezuela from 1899 to 1908. He was the first man from the Andes to rule the country, and was ...
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'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
Hermann Speck von Sternburg (21 August 1852 Leeds, England – 23 August 1908 Heidelberg, Germany) was a German diplomat.
Education
Sternburg was educated in the Fürstenschule Saint Afra, Meissen, Saxony, and the military academy of Potsd ...
that "if any South American State misbehaves towards any European country, let the European country spank it."
The Drago Doctrine was used by
Venezuela 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
Paul Elliott Singer (born August 22, 1944) is an American hedge fund manager, activist investor, philanthropist, and the founder, president and co-CEO of Elliott Management. As of October 2021, his net worth is estimated at US$4.3 billion.
' ...
.
See also
*
Calvo doctrine
The Calvo Doctrine is a foreign policy doctrine which holds that jurisdiction in international investment disputes lies with the country in which the investment is located. The Calvo Doctrine stood in contrast to historical rules governing foreign ...
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
{{Argentina-hist-stub