author
Luis María Drago
1859–1921
Best remembered for the Drago Doctrine, he argued that public debt should never be collected by military force. This Argentine lawyer, writer, and public official helped shape debates about sovereignty and international law in the early 1900s.
1 Audiobook
Argentina, Legend and History
by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Carlos O. (Carlos Octavio) Bunge, Luis María Drago, Juana Manuela Gorriti, Pedro Goyena, Juan María Gutiérrez, Pedro Lacasa, Lucio Vicente López, Vicente Fidel López, Vicente López y Planes, Bartolomé Mitre, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Marcos Sastre
About the author
Born in Buenos Aires on May 6, 1859, he trained as a lawyer and built a varied public career as a journalist, jurist, writer, and politician. He served in Argentina's Chamber of Deputies and held important legal and governmental posts, earning a reputation as a serious voice on public law and international affairs.
He is most closely associated with the Drago Doctrine, set out in 1902 while he was serving as Argentina's minister of foreign affairs. Written in response to the naval blockade of Venezuela by European powers, the doctrine argued that the collection of public debts should not justify armed intervention or occupation in the Americas. The idea became one of his lasting contributions to international law and to Latin American diplomatic thought.
Later in life, he continued to be active in public affairs and legal scholarship. He died in Buenos Aires on June 9, 1921, but his name remains tied to a principle that defended national sovereignty and pushed back against the use of force in international finance.