ABSTRACT
A case which illustrates quite neatly Stanley Hoffmann’s concern with the damage that can be done through an excess of good intentions is that of Woodrow Wilson’s policy toward Latin America from 1913–1916. Prior to Wilson’s election in 1912, the Democratic party had in general been opposed to the imperialistic practices of the Republicans, who had held the presidency without a break since 1897. The proper question to debate is how appropriate Wilson’s dreams of constitutional democratic government were for Central America and the Caribbean. Strategic concerns, like commercial, can explain only a part of Wilson’s determination to bring stability through constitutional regimes to the region. The conclusion thus seems to be that the most important reason for American intervention was psychological, or perhaps one might say ideological and moral: Wilson felt the United States had a duty to perform, and perform it he would.
