The Caribbean Basin: U.S. Strategy and Security Challenges in the 21st Century
Abstract
At first glance the Caribbean Basin seems to be a fairly peaceful, even benign, region when compared to regions in Africa, the Middle East, or Europe. Closer analysis, however, reveals a complex, and dynamic grouping of nationalities, cultures, and languages and a myriad of issues and challenges (e.g., economic, social, and political) that can have an effect on the security landscape of the United States. Contrary to the characterization of benign unimportance, the Caribbean Basin has the distinction of being the region that has experienced the greatest number of U.S. military interventions - 37 since 1901. Much of U.S. foreign policy decisions relating to the Caribbean is crisis-oriented. However, there are significant transnational threats that the United States must pay attention to if it is to avoid another Haiti or Cuba. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 is a geopolitical overview and discussion of the region's value to the United States. Chapter 3 is a historical perspective on U.S. policy and interventions in the region since the Cold War. Chapter 4 discusses three of the challenges to U.S. security emanating from the region and postulates strategies for their resolution. Chapter 5 is a summary of findings and the conclusion. Sadly, this research indicates that current administration policy, as other administration policies of the past, still lacks the vision, strategic thinking, and long-range planning that will maximize the opportunities for true stability in the region or effectively resolve the challenges that may affect U.S.-Caribbean relations. (2 figures, 14 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA425407
Entities
People
- Terrence P. Cooper
Organizations
- Air University