The United States should not only stand its ground in the Western Hemisphere but also lead it to a new era of freedom and prosperity.
With Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s appointment as national security adviser, and President Donald Trump’s recent comments about Rubio’s chances to be his successor, the secretary of state has the unique chance to draft a foreign policy where “America First” means leading in our own hemisphere. That is, the second Trump administration should marry nationalist priorities with regional leadership. Call it the “Rubio Doctrine,” a 21st-century updating of James Monroe’s famous warning to Old World powers to stay out of our backyard. An America First agenda can now be strengthened by renewed engagement with our near neighbors.
Economic Opportunity and Friend-Shoring
Latin America is a sleeping economic giant that aligns perfectly with U.S. “friend-shoring” goals. Rather than relying on factories an ocean away, we can shift supply chains from Asia to the Americas. This isn’t wishful thinking; companies are already eyeing Latin America as global firms seek to decouple from China. The Western Hemisphere boasts resources and capacities the U.S. vitally needs.
Continue reading the entire piece here at the National Review Online (paywall)
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Ilya Shapiro is a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute. Santiago Vidal Calvo is a collegiate associate at the Manhattan Institute and a TPP scholar at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
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