The 'Drago Doctrine' was announced in
1902 by the
Argentinian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Luis María Drago. Extending the
Monroe Doctrine, it set forth the policy that no foreign power, including the
United States, could use force against an
American nation to collect
debt. It was supplanted in
1904 by the
Roosevelt Corollary.
It grew from the ideas expressed by
Carlos Calvo in ''Derecho internacional teórico y práctico de Europa y América'', commonly known as the
Calvo Doctrine. The Calvo Doctrine proposed to prohibit diplomatic intervention before local resources were exhausted.
The Drago Doctrine itself was a response to the actions of Britain, Germany, and Italy, who had blockaded and shelled ports in response to
Venezuela's massive debt, acquired under president
Cipriano Castro. A modified version by
Horace Porter was adopted at
the Hague in
1907, adding that arbitration and litigation should always be used first.
External links
★
Columbia Encyclopedia article on the Calvo Doctrine
★
Columbia Encyclopedia article on Luis María Drago
★
Encyclopedia.com article on Luis María Drago