U.S. Foreign Policy under Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909): A Study in the Features of Imperial Expansion and the Rise of Naval Power"Panama Canal Model

Abstract

This study examines the fundamental shift in US foreign policy during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909), highlighting the transition from a relatively isolationist approach to a systematic global engagement based on naval power and preemptive intervention. The study proceeds from a basic premise that multiple internal factors, including economic, political, and technological dimensions, created the necessary material and political infrastructure for the rise of greater American ambition. Roosevelt demonstrated this transformation through tactics such as "big stick diplomacy" and the "Roosevelt Appendix," along with strategic projects such as the Panama Canal, the most prominent embodiment of this fundamental shift and the qualitative shift in the global export of US imperialism. The study examines the US domestic responses to anti-imperialism and Latin American protests. This study attempts to understand the balance between hard and soft power to sustain regional and international stability. He concludes by concluding that Roosevelt's legacy has continued to guide subsequent American foreign policy, despite the renewal of methods over time, starting with coercive measures, through "good neighbor" diplomacy, and later on, the use of advanced economic and political tools.