Which aspect of governance is at the heart of the Monroe Doctrine? A)
Federalism
B)
Foreign Policy
C)
Domestic Policy
D)
Monetary Policy

nothing certain is known about what happened, but it seems that the country declined gradually, perhaps due to bad government, or, more likely, due to a series of bad harvests, which resulted in widespread and recurrent famine.

it foreshadows the theme of the paragraph and hints the topic that will be discussed in the paragraph!