Britain and the United States favored neutral commerce and freedom of the seas when those principles served their interests, though both accepted maritime restriction in wartime. The interwar naval treaties distinguish nominal treaty equality from funded fleet strength: Congress could have supported parity, yet Britain expected American appropriations to fall short. British negotiators could therefore accept nominal equality while expecting Congress to keep the United States in an underfunded second place. For much of the doctrine's early life, Britain remained Latin America's largest trading power, and even the Brazilian Navy could surpass the US Navy.
Notable Point · 22:30-26:26
Freedom of the seas and the limits of Pax Britannica
The doctrine operated within a British-led maritime order whose commitment to open seas remained conditional on national interest and naval capacity.