Ricard, Serge; Gable, John A.

Serge Ricard argues that President Theodore Roosevelt practiced a style of diplomacy that was clothed in self-righteousness and was backed by the threat of force. Ricard argues that Roosevelt’s diplomacy lacked nuance because Roosevelt reduced all conflicts and disputes to a “simplistic vision of right and wrong.” He asserts that Roosevelt lacked Woodrow Wilson’s endless self-examination and William H. Taft’s commitment to dollar diplomacy, but that he viewed America’s role in the revolutions of the Philippines and Panama in black and white terms with the United States playing the role of guardian of progress and civilization. Ricard closes by arguing that Roosevelt’s style of diplomacy has endured to the detriment of the United States and its foreign policy record.

 

John A. Gable writes a brief introduction to this article in which he notes Ricard’s credentials, and he stresses that the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal welcomes the opportunity to air debates about Roosevelt’s record.