00:00 The United States' foreign policy in its early years was focused on a few European countries, including Britain, France, and Spain.

02:17 The United States supported the independence of European colonies in the Americas, and as more colonies became independent, there were concerns about European powers reclaiming territory in the region.

04:21 President Monroe and Secretary of State Adams decided to make a unilateral statement regarding the United States policy for the Western Hemisphere, outlining the Monroe Doctrine which stated that the US would not interfere with existing European colonies in the Americas but warned against establishing new colonies, and that the US would not interfere in the internal affairs of European nations in return for European powers refraining from interfering in the affairs of independent nations in the Americas.

06:23 The United States initially had little ability to enforce the Monroe Doctrine, but as it grew more powerful, it began to take action to defend its interests and expand the scope of the Doctrine.

08:24 In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States actively enforced the Monroe Doctrine, attempting to annex the Dominican Republic, threatening Britain into arbitration with Venezuela, and using military force in the Spanish-American War, ultimately leading to the extension of the Doctrine known as the Roosevelt Corollary.

10:28 The United States implemented the Monroe Doctrine through military interventions in several Latin American countries, including Cuba, Honduras, Panama, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, and later shifted its focus to preventing the spread of communism during the Cold War.

12:40 The United States invoked the Monroe Doctrine in the fight against drugs and narcotics, leading to American involvement in fighting drug cartels in countries such as Colombia and a full-blown invasion and regime change in Panama, but by the 21st century, the United States had officially declared the Monroe Doctrine dead.