In December 1823, U.S. President James Monroe gave an annual political speech before the U.S. Congress that went down in history as the Monroe Doctrine and had a lasting impact on the relationship between the United States, Latin America and Europe.
From a European perspective, the Monroe Doctrine is considered the only relevant vision of the Americas that unfolded between 1820 and 1830. Yet, at the same time, there existed visions—some competing, some intertwined with the United States—that encompassed the entire continent. Simón Bolivar's Pan-American utopia is the most notable vision that represents global aspirations. The 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine is the ideal occasion to shed light on these core issues of transatlantic foreign policy by speakers from the United States, Latin America and Europe in English and Spanish.
The conference will go beyond the period of the 1820s, discussing the political, cultural, and social contexts of the America visions, and their long-term effects.