Monroe Doctrine & Connections to Today

           In the Article The War Over U.S. War Crimes in Afghanistan Is Heating Up By David Bosco the topic of the United States involvement in other countries affairs is addressed. According to the article, the United States has used torture and abuse over seas, yet these offences keep getting swept under the rug. It has been estimated that 8,000 citizens have been killed in Afghanistan due to abuse, and the United States may have been a large contributor to the number of fatalities. International Criminal Court in The Hague is coming closer to confronting the United States, but still not a lot of progress has been made on this issue.

          If the Monroe Doctrine were still completely in effect then the way the United States deals with Afghanistan would be different than its current approach. First, the United States probably wouldn’t be involved in Afghanistan because it is in a “separate sphere of influence”.  Afghanistan is not part of the Americas, and so according to the doctrine the United States should not interfere with its affairs. Also, the Monroe Doctrine states that the United States should not dominate or rule other countries. In Afghanistan, the U.S. has taken control of towns and villages on several occasions, and this does not coincide with the Monroe Doctrine. Lastly, the Monroe Doctrine states that the United States should not intervene with the affairs of other countries unless it affects us directly. The United States got involved with Afghanistan initially because of the events on September 11th 2006, but has been there ever since. If the Monroe Doctrine were still in use the United States would take care of the threat right away, and then leave Afghanistan to deal with its own issues. Overall, the Monroe Doctrine encourages the United States to stay out of other countries affairs and only get involved if it is directly threatened.