From Clipperton to the Falklands: A New Monroe Doctrine for a Fragmented World

 

In the age of multipolarity, the ghosts of empire still haunt the map. From the coral ring of Clipperton Island to the windswept Falklands, the vestiges of colonial ambition and strategic posturing remain embedded in global governance. The so-called “New Monroe Doctrine”—revived in recent years as a hemispheric assertion of U.S. primacy—has not only reshaped American foreign policy but also reignited questions about sovereignty, stewardship, and the role of supranational institutions like the EU and UN.

Take Clipperton Island, a speck of French territory in the Pacific, awarded to France in 1931 after arbitration with Mexico. Uninhabitable and ecologically fragile, Clipperton is less a strategic asset than a symbol of how discovery and occupation still underpin international law. Yet its relevance today lies in how similar micro-territories—like Pitcairn (UK), Saint Barthélemy (France), or Curaçao (Dutch)—serve as nodes in a global network of tax havens and offshore jurisdictions. These islands, more infamously UK's Caymans and BVI, often remnants of empire, now function as financial instruments, enabling capital flight and regulatory arbitrage.

A New World of Tax Havens and Kings in USA Backyard?

The Caribbean, long a laboratory for colonial extraction, has become a contested zone of fiscal sovereignty. British Overseas Territories like the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, French departments like Martinique, and Dutch jurisdictions such as Sint Maarten have all been scrutinized by the EU for non-cooperative tax practices. The UN, meanwhile, has struggled to reconcile the economic autonomy of these territories with broader goals of transparency and equity. The tension between local governance and global accountability remains unresolved.

Puerto Rico offers a unique case study. As a U.S. territory, it straddles the line between domestic jurisdiction and offshore haven. Under Acts 20 and 22 (now Act 60), Puerto Rico offers near-zero tax rates to qualifying investors, attracting a wave of crypto entrepreneurs and hedge fund managers. Yet this fiscal paradise exists alongside deep economic precarity, raising questions about who benefits from sovereignty-lite arrangements and who bears the costs.

American Samoa, acquired in 1899 during the height of Manifest Destiny, reflects another dimension of this hemispheric logic. The U.S. presence in the Pacific—once justified by coaling stations and naval logistics—now serves as a guarantor of strategic depth against rising Chinese influence. The New Monroe Doctrine, as articulated in recent policy circles, reasserts U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere while quietly extending its reach into the Indo-Pacific.

The Falklands, still a British Overseas Territory, remain a flashpoint of post-colonial tension. The 1982 war with Argentina, and the continued military presence—including RAF installations—highlight the enduring costs of imperial legacy. King Charles III’s symbolic role as sovereign over these territories underscores the constitutional ambiguity of modern monarchy. As environmental concerns mount, questions about waste management, military infrastructure, and ecological stewardship in the South Atlantic grow more urgent.

Follow the Cocaine in the New World

In this landscape, the EU and UN face a paradox. On one hand, they champion decolonisation, climate justice, and equitable development. On the other, they must navigate the realpolitik of member states with overseas interests. The EU’s blacklist of tax havens, for instance, includes several territories linked to its own members. The UN’s Special Committee on Decolonization continues to list territories like the Falklands and Gibraltar, despite resistance from administering powers.

What emerges is a fragmented sovereignty—a world where micro-territories serve as financial instruments, strategic outposts, or ecological liabilities. The New Monroe Doctrine, far from being a relic, is now a template for USA regional spheres of influence. But unlike its 19th-century predecessor, today’s doctrine must contend with supranational norms, environmental imperatives, and digital capital.

And, the drug trade across Latin America is not just a story of cartels and violence—it’s a story of financial architecture. In Mexico, systemic corruption and “corruption cartels” have enabled organized crime to launder billions through shell companies and tax havens, with trade-based money laundering now a dominant tactic. 

Commw Jamaica, long a trans-shipment hub for Colombian cocaine and a major producer of marijuana, faces a dual threat: illicit narcotics and counterfeit goods, both of which funnel billions away from public coffers into offshore jurisdictions. Colombia’s drug economy, contributing up to 2% of its GDP, relies heavily on laundering mechanisms that route profits through Caribbean havens and informal networks, often using contraband and gold as barter. 

The Darién Gap, straddling Colombia and Panama, has become a lawless corridor not only for migrants but for narcotics and illicit finance. Panama’s strategic location and lax financial oversight have made it a magnet for laundering cocaine profits, with the Colón Free Trade Zone and shell companies acting as conduits for transnational criminal networks. Together, these nodes form a hemispheric web where drugs and capital flow hand-in-hand, shielded by secrecy jurisdictions and weak enforcement.

As we move deeper into the 21st century, the challenge is not merely to redraw borders or renegotiate treaties. It is to rethink the architecture of global governance. Can the EU and UN craft frameworks that reconcile fiscal autonomy with transparency? Can they address the ecological costs of militarized sovereignty? And can they offer alternatives to doctrines rooted in exclusion and exceptionalism?

Islands as Ledgers: Tax Havens and Colonial Conduits

From Clipperton to the Falklands, the map is not just a legacy—it’s a ledger. And the balance sheet of empire is still being written.

For Latin America and the Caribbean increasingly looks to be as a zone of American stewardship rather than Chinese or European opportunity.

Executive Order 14172’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America was more than linguistic—it was territorial assertion. From Guantánamo Bay’s permanence on Cuban soil to new infrastructure diplomacy in Haiti and Panama, the U.S. is crafting a hemispheric fortress—not of walls, but of contracts, supply chains, and soft influence.

Far from being a relic, the Monroe Doctrine has quietly re-entered mainstream strategy. During his first administration, Donald Trump reframed U.S. hemispheric primacy as both economic reclamation and military deterrence. The idea wasn’t expansionist—it was revisionist: recasting Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of American stewardship rather than Chinese or European opportunity.

That legacy persists. Executive Order 14172’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America was more than linguistic—it was territorial assertion. From Guantánamo Bay’s permanence on Cuban soil to new infrastructure diplomacy in Haiti and Panama, the U.S. is crafting a hemispheric fortress—not of walls, but of contracts, supply chains, and soft influence.

With Trump views on Denmark rescinding Denmark and even Commw Canada as a 51st state of USA what likelihood of anomalies such as Clipperton or Dutch Caribbean continuing?

The UK’s Guarantor Dilemma: Falklands and Strategic Decolonization

While, King Charles III retains the title of sovereign over 14 overseas territories, but the Falklands stand apart. Unlike Gibraltar’s EU fracture or Caribbean debates on independence, the Falklands remain not just British but strategically sacred. The UK’s military presence there, despite questions of environmental cost and geopolitical necessity, is tied to its guarantor role—a legacy of 1982, a projection of sovereignty, and a rebuttal to Argentine claims.

Rather than withdrawal, Britain has doubled down. The RAF’s airstrip remains active, and post-Brexit military diplomacy has placed the Falklands into a wider Indo-Pacific posture, symbolically linking sovereignty with strategy.

Europe Refocuses: From Global Pretensions to Continental Prudence

As the U.S. reasserts itself, the EU has quietly scaled back its global ambitions. Once viewed as a diplomatic counterweight to American hegemony, the EU now prioritizes continental stability, defence industrial coordination, and strategic autonomy within Europe itself.

Clipperton aside, France's Indo-Pacific vision looks increasingly national. The EU’s global tax haven enforcement is constrained by internal contradictions. Former colonies still align economically, but not ideologically. Brussels is now more likely to fund military readiness in Lithuania than climate resilience in Dominica.

Conclusion: A Doctrine of Ledgers and Leverage

Trump’s hemispheric vision—assertive, economically motivated, and layered in legacy—has evolved into a 21st-century doctrine of economic containment and symbolic supremacy. Tax havens, micro-territories, and old colonies no longer represent imperial power—they represent instrumental sovereignty. Places like Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Clipperton, and Pitcairn are nodes—not nostalgic—but strategically networked.

As the EU retreats from global arbitration and the UK clings to symbolic guarantees, the U.S. quietly redraws the New World—not with invasions, but with names, ports, money, and presence.

The Monroe Doctrine is back. And this time, it’s written not in manifest destiny—but in manifest balance sheets.