As president, Teddy Roosevelt moved quickly to improve the United States military and establish the country as a “player” on the international scene. That opening volley across the international community’s bow was only Step 1 in the plan; Roosevelt knew that if the U.S. was going to take its place as a major world player, there were other actions he needed to take — immediately.

The Eastern World had increased in prominence since Commodore Matthew Perry (USN) had “opened” Japan to interaction with the West in 1854 with the forced Treaty of Kanagawa. Two hundred years of Japanese isolation ended with the threat of military reprisals and the signed treaty. Almost simultaneously, the ancient kingdom of China conceded to the Treaty of Tianjin (1858), granting the British and French the right to trade in Chinese ports and establish their footprints in the country via diplomatic missions, as well as legalizing the opium trade (a discussion for another day). This new awareness of the Eastern World and its vast markets had evolved during the next 50 years to a point that the United States required a way to pivot as needed from an emphasis on European and African nations to a more global engagement that included the Far and Southern East and Australia.

If the Navy would ultimately be the means of protecting U.S. territories and investments — and perhaps grow the American economy — then new routes would be required. The Spanish-American War had brought that issue to the forefront when ships harbored on the West Coast had been forced to sail two months around the tip of Argentina to support U.S. forces in Cuba. Roosevelt needed a workable solution. The result was the Panama Canal.

By 1901, the U.S. and Great Britain had reached an agreement that the U.S. would construct a canal across either Panama or Nicaragua. The U.S. Senate approved a route across Panama, contingent on approval by Colombia, which owned the land. Colombia, hesitant to approve the proposed action for fear of losing control of its own lands, quickly found itself facing a Panamanian revolt — financed by the U.S. and assisted by a naval blockade — that resulted in Colombia facing its worst fears in the form of an independent Panama. By 1903, Panama had given the United States control of the planned canal for a $10 million payment and an annual deposit of $250,000 into the Panamanian treasury.

President Roosevelt headed to Panama in 1906 to observe construction, becoming the first U.S. president to leave the country during his presidency, and witnessed the difficulties in building the “world’s greatest engineering feat.” The canal was completed in 1914, just in time for the first truly global conflict, and within 10 more years, the canal would have more than 5,000 ships passing through its locks annually. Roosevelt reminded audiences that the canal had shortened the distance from either side of the United States to the other by 8,000 miles — a strategic advantage in military and economic conflicts.

It is an acknowledged fact that Roosevelt looked at Central and South America’s potential role in the global community with a belief that the U.S. had to act in unison with the Latin American nations. Roosevelt drafted and articulated his Roosevelt Corollary to fulfill that goal, building on the already established Monroe Doctrine. In the simplest of terms, Roosevelt smiled slyly at the entire world and explained that the United States would come to the aid of its neighbors and would serve as the “policeman” of the Western Hemisphere. He left the former European colonial leaders to determine how the U.S. might “enforce” the law.

However, it is important to realize that Roosevelt was a multi-layered foreign policy leader. While focused on the United States and its role in the international arena, he was also willing to step forward in other roles. When the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 grabbed the world’s attention with a Japanese victory, the president offered to help negotiate peace and brought the belligerents together in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Roosevelt’s role resulted in his recognition with the Nobel Peace Prize. Fresh on the result of that role as peacemaker, Roosevelt would also broker peace between France and Germany regarding Morocco, with a side result that Britain would maintain control over Egypt, improving both Anglo and French ties with the U.S.

But what about domestic issues? Well, Roosevelt had a plan there, too.