Theodore Roosevelt Foreign Policy Analysis

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Theodore Roosevelt’s approach to foreign policy mirrored a national thirst to enforce American power during a time of imperial expansion. For example, the creation of the Panama Canal generated mixed emotions, and Roosevelt’s actions impacted America to Latin-American relations for years. He was something of a visionary, one might claim, in how he viewed foreign policy. The president himself summed up his view with the well-known quote: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
President Roosevelt was an expansionist leader. He began eyeing the Isthmus of Panama when the French first decided to sell it. His dream of creating a canal would be realized, despite being considered moderately underhanded. Roosevelt discovered a willing partner in Philippe Bunau-Varilla. The official for the French company who owned the land was distraught over the company’s potential loss of $40 million. Bunau-Varilla quickly mimicked the pattern set by the US by drafting a declaration of independence and a constitution for a new nation. With a little help from a flexing USA (courtesy of an anchored warship), …show more content…
“Speak softly.” This was easily seen in the quick and somewhat sneaky (Roosevelt did aid in the ‘revolution’ that was the birth of Panama by strategically placing a nearby warship) acquisition of the isthmus. “Carry a big stick.” This is not an exaggeration, either. In 1907, the president commissioned for a fleet of battleships. The 16 white battleships were to essentially just set sail under the guise of a training operation. The “Great White Fleet,” as it was nicknamed, was primarily a silent warning to Japan. Consequently, their tour was seen by many other nations in the process. America was showing off for the rest of the world to see. The land of the free was still home of the brave, and she was not one to test. Her bark was backed up by a fierce bite in the form of her naval
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